Ukrainian Military: "North Korean Troop Tactics Outdated... Seem Not Receiving Russian Support"

"Classic Large-Scale Movements, Vulnerable to Modern Warfare with Drones"
"Rapid Advance, Could Have Been a Formidable Force If Properly Equipped"

About one-third of the North Korean troops deployed to Russia are reported to have been injured or killed, and Ukrainian soldiers who fought against them on the battlefield cited outdated tactics and lack of Russian support as reasons for the heavy casualties among the North Korean forces.

On the 7th (local time), the British daily The Times reported interviews with Ukrainian soldiers who fought against North Korean troops in the Sumy region near the Russian border and in Russia's Kursk Oblast, parts of which have been occupied by Ukraine.

According to the report, the Ukrainian forces said that it appeared North Korean troops received little to no support from Russia. A captain from the 47th Brigade recounted his combat experience in October, stating that the North Korean troops launched attacks nine times a day, aggressively and rapidly attempting to reclaim Russian territory. The North Korean infantry came and occupied territory, pushing Ukrainian forces further back, but the Russian military did not provide additional armored equipment. Subsequently, the Ukrainian forces pushed them back and stabilized the front line.

North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces

There was also an assessment that North Korean troops were vulnerable in modern warfare, moving in classic infantry attack formations at the platoon level. Captain Vilayev of the Ukrainian 80th Air Assault Brigade said he was surprised to see North Korean soldiers walking in groups and talking among what appeared to be tents during reconnaissance. A discerning soldier would not expose their body above ground when facing the enemy.

Members of this brigade's paratroopers explained that the North Korean troops were not crazy or stupid, but rather used outdated tactics without considering that drones could detect their forces, gather them together, and eliminate them in a single attack.

Captain Strigunov of the same brigade also pointed out that when the North Korean troops attacked, the Russians did not send tanks to escort the North Korean infantry or provide artillery fire support. The 80th Brigade's paratroopers are equipped with American-made Strykers and M113 armored personnel carriers. They could rush into the fields with armored vehicles and eliminate North Korean troops with machine guns. Captain Vilayev said, "After some time, they realized this war was different from what they expected and disappeared somewhere."

Meanwhile, there was also an evaluation that it was a relief that the North Korean troops did not receive support from Russia. Captain Strigunov said, "The Russian forces are as exhausted as we are," adding, "Usually, when Russian assault units are hit by drones, they take cover and retreat, but the North Korean troops keep advancing," calling them "really impressive" soldiers. Major Anton of the Ukrainian 95th Air Assault Brigade, who captured North Korean soldiers on the front line, stated that if the North Korean troops had artillery, attack drones, and tanks, they would have been a formidable fighting force.