Ukraine reports high losses for North Koreans when attacking in Kursk

Ukraine reports high losses for North Koreans when attacking in Kursk

The Ukraine reported on Monday that North Korean soldiers The side of the Russian troops fight while the fights suffered serious losses last weekend in the Russian region of Kursk.

fight in the Kursk

North Korean units in the past month in kursk The proximity of three villages is involved, according to the Ukrainian secret service. An estimated 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or injured during the fights, three others are missing than missing, while clashes near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka, which are near the border, experienced a new start.

video recordings from the fighters

A Ukrainian drone unit released a video on Sunday, which allegedly showed the corpses of more than 20 North Korean soldiers who were lined up in an icy field. However, the video quality was not sufficient to check their identity. On the other hand, another drone video that was geolocalized by CNN showed soldiers who seemed to be retreating and some wounded on sledges, but it is unclear whether it was Russian or Korean soldiers.

tactics from the past

According to a Ukrainian unit, the North Korean soldiers - dressed in other uniforms than the Russians - put infantry attacks with "the same tactics as 70 years ago". This seems to refer to the Korean War when waves of infantry were used. The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj said last month that the North Korean troops stationed in Kursk were involved in fighting that led to losses.

Current situation on the front section

Since the beginning of December, North Korean troops seem to play an increasingly prominent role on the front in Kursk, especially as part of the infantry. According to Ukraine estimates, there are around 12,000 North Korean soldiers in the region to help Russian units in the recapture of areas in Kursk who were lost in August during a Ukrainian offensive.

fight for Plekhovo

The fights for Plekhovo began to push the Ukrainian armed forces back from the border at the beginning of the month when Russian units tried to push the Ukrainian armed forces back around four kilometers (2.5 miles). A Ukrainian military author, Yuriy Butusov, reported on Facebook that a big attack on Saturday could be stopped. Butusov added that the North Korean infantry was supported by "massive fire support" by Russian units and by electronic warfare against Ukrainian drones.

"Despite the losses, the enemy attack groups continued their advance and did not pause even with precise shelling and artillery fire," said Butusov. "The enemy was able to reach the Ukrainian positions due to their good physical fitness, fast movements and their ignorance of their own losses; no evacuation of the wounded and dead took place during the attack." He added that "our troops started several successful counterattacks to stabilize the situation."

CNN cannot check this information about the battle, but they fit the video evidence and are consistent with the official Ukrainian reports. It remains unclear which side - if at all - is now holding the village of Plekhovo.