North Korean tactics in Ukraine reveal stark Soviet echoes
North Korean soldiers are reportedly using Soviet tactics, which are considered outdated in modern warfare, according to the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the Koreans may still pose a challenge as they are described as "concentrated and motivated."
Oleksandr Syrsky, the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that soldiers from North Korea are employing tactics reminiscent of the Soviet era.
Syrsky explained that their strategies follow Soviet-era tactics involving large-scale attacks by platoons and companies. He noted that modern warfare has shifted, with the prevalence of drones making small, specialized groups more effective for offensive and defensive operations. When a platoon, sometimes numbering over a hundred soldiers, courageously attacks from multiple directions, it can create significant challenges. He also mentioned that North Korean soldiers are facing shortages of ammunition.
Syrsky reported that between 11,000 and 12,000 well-motivated and trained soldiers from North Korea have been deployed to aid Russia in the war against Ukraine. However, half of them have already been wounded or killed in action.
Bad forecasts for Korean soldiers in Russia
According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the entire North Korean contingent of about 12,000 soldiers currently in the Kursk region could be killed or injured in combat by mid-April 2025 if the present high level of losses among North Korean forces continues.
The Defence Minister of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, reported on November 5, 2024, that North Korean forces were engaged in "small-scale" skirmishes in the Kursk region. In early January, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 3,800 North Korean soldiers had been killed or injured in the Kursk region.
This implies that North Korea has suffered an average of 92 losses per day since significant combat operations began in early December 2024. If, as reported, North Korea deployed about 12,000 soldiers to the Kursk region, the entire contingent could potentially be killed or injured within approximately 12 weeks (by mid-April 2025) if the rate of losses continues at a similarly high level.
Earlier, the National Intelligence Service of South Korea reported that currently, 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and 2,700 injured in battles in the Kursk region.
