North Korea lost third of its troops due to massive attacks by Ukrainian artillery and drones in Kursk - Forbes

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North Korea lost third of its soldiers in Kursk due to Ukrainian drones

A third of the North Korean military sent to the Kursk region to take part in hostilities have already been killed or wounded due to intense actions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

This is reported by Forbes, Censor.NET informs.

As noted, this information was confirmed by Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center.

According to Forbes, North Korean troops, who began attacking Ukrainian positions in December, suffered significant losses due to intense shelling by Ukrainian artillery, mines, and drone strikes.

"Infantry attacks, mostly without the support of armored vehicles, are not a unique North Korean phenomenon. Ukrainian drones are constantly everywhere, making it virtually impossible for Russian and North Korean equipment to break through the cover. According to one Russian blogger, tanks "simply do not reach the line to launch an attack. They are shot from drones from many kilometers away," the article says.

It is noted that more than 200 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded during the first assault in the Kursk region. In total, since December, about 3,800 of the 12,000 soldiers of the North Korean 11th Army Corps have suffered losses.

The Ukrainian military has noted the high level of marksmanship training of DPRK soldiers, which sets them apart from the Russian military. However, without the support of armored vehicles and in the face of the dominance of Ukrainian drones, these advantages do not save them from significant losses.

Zelenskyy also said that the Russian-North Korean army acts brutally: Russians and North Koreans usually execute the wounded to hide the DPRK's participation in the war.

"Russian troops and other North Korean servicemen usually execute their wounded to erase any evidence of North Korea's participation in the war against Ukraine," the head of state said.

Ukrainian military officer Volodymyr Demchenko also confirmed this information, adding that wounded North Koreans sometimes kill themselves in the pain of battle:

"These are extremely hardened types who, when wounded, act according to the same scheme: pull out the check, put a grenade to the head, and good night," Demchenko said.

According to experts, North Korea may send reinforcements if Moscow offers lucrative technological or economic deals: "It is unclear whether Pyongyang has committed to deploying more troops. But the North Korean regime certainly intends to do so. Moscow is reportedly trading key military technologies in exchange for additional labor," the article concludes.

Author: Екатерина Людвик