North Korean soldiers face drone warfare challenges in Ukraine
The Russians engaged soldiers from North Korea in the Kursk region, where they first encountered drones. The method of combating drones by North Korean soldiers was found by Ukrainian special forces in a captured notebook. This article explains the importance of drones in the Ukraine war.
Ukrainian soldiers found notes belonging to Private Jong from a special unit named in honour of Kim Jong Un. Besides the unconditional expression of admiration and loyalty to the Asian regime leader, there is also a belief that fighting in Russia serves the defence of the North Korean homeland.
According to the Unian agency and Ukrainian Special Operations Command, the notes also contain a description of fighting drones. This requires three soldiers according to the instructions, one acting as a live decoy, while the other two are positioned about 7 metres away to combat the machines. The Korean notes that when the decoy stops, the drone also stops, giving the other two the best chance to shoot it down. It is presumed that the "instruction" was provided to the Koreans by the Russians, as many of Kim’s soldiers had not previously dealt with such machines.
The description most likely refers to bomb-dropping drones of the "Baba Yaga" type, which indeed needs to hover over a target briefly to drop, for example, mortar shells. However, the described tactic does not take into account FPV drones (small "kamikaze" drones), against which it is ineffective.
Drones — A nightmare North Korean soldiers weren’t ready for
Ukrainian drone footage shows that North Koreans attack in lines, often across open terrain, which results in massive losses. Ukrainians, like the Russians, use different types of drones and artillery here.
The mentioned "Baba Yaga" drones are commercial agricultural or industrial unmanned aerial vehicles that can reach altitudes up to about 3,000 metres, carrying loads of 20-30 kilograms. They are used not only for bombing Russians with mortar shells (sometimes even laser-guided ones) but also for other tasks. Besides conducting reconnaissance, they are used as signal boosters for other drones, airborne Starlink terminals, laying mines, or transporting robo-dogs.
Disposable drones in Ukraine
On the other hand, FPV drones are disposable constructions consisting only of a frame, a control system with an antenna, electric motors with rotors, a camera, and a battery. Then, any explosive material can be attached to such a device (even with zip ties), creating a simple guided weapon.
This is an ideal way to utilize outdated weapons such as grenade launchers, but electronic warfare systems sometimes limit its effectiveness. Ukrainians and Russians are constantly improving their solutions, for example, by controlling drones with deployable fibre optic cables or using artificial intelligence algorithms.
Both methods enable operation under conditions of strong interference. At the unit level, a common sight includes smoothbore shotguns or experiments with anti-drone ammunition for rifles.
