North Korean soldiers face heavy losses in Russia's Kursk battles
In Russia's Kursk region, about a thousand North Korean soldiers were killed in clashes with Ukrainian forces, reports the BBC, citing anonymous Western officials. It's said that Putin treats the troops sent by Kim Jong Un as cannon fodder. They are placed in various positions for which they are not always trained.
There were intense battles in Russia's Kursk region, where approximately a thousand North Korean soldiers were killed. This information was reported by the BBC, citing anonymous Western officials. In total, 11,000 North Korean soldiers fought in Russia, of which 4,000 were killed, wounded, missing, or captured.
In the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) killed 21 and wounded 40 North Korean soldiers who attacked Ukrainian positions in Russia's Kursk region. The clash between both sides lasted for more than eight hours.
Dramatic situation of North Korean soldiers
It remains unclear where the wounded North Korean soldiers are being treated or if they will be replaced with new reinforcements. However, Kim Jong Un has already announced that he will send additional troops to the front line. Radio Free Asia revealed that the fallen soldiers are posthumously accepted into the Workers' Party of Korea, and their families are not informed about the circumstances of their deaths or their involvement in the war.
On January 11, Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian services (SBU) had captured two North Korean soldiers who are being treated in Kyiv and are being interrogated regularly. Thanks to the interrogations so far, it has been determined that soldiers are sent blindly to the front, often not realizing who they will be fighting against.
These testimonies are confirmed by former British Army tank commander, Col. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon.
Quite frankly they don't stand a chance. They are being thrown into the meat grinder with little chance of survival. They are cannon fodder, and the Russian officers care even less for them than they do for their own men, he says in an interview with the BBC.
Ukrainian troops entered the Kursk region on August 6, 2024. The aim of the offensive was to force the Russians to transfer some forces from the Donbas. By the end of August, Kyiv controlled approximately 1,243 square kilometers of this region, but since September, Ukrainian forces have begun to lose ground due to the Russian counteroffensive.
