Drone strikes inflict heavy losses on North Korean assault troops in Ukraine, ISW says
Pravda Ukraine
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have pointed out that the deployment of large North Korean assault groups in the war against Ukraine alongside Russian forces, coupled with frequent Ukrainian drone strikes, is likely resulting in substantial losses for North Korea.
Source: ISW
Details: Ukrainian forces have reportedly taken their first North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. On 9 January, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) announced that Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) had captured one North Korean soldier, with a second prisoner being seized by Ukrainian airborne assault troops in the area shortly thereafter.
The SSU reported that Ukrainian authorities are collaborating with South Korean intelligence to communicate with the prisoners of war, as they do not speak English, Russian or Ukrainian.
One of the POWs was found to be in possession of a Russian military ID card from the Republic of Tuva, a federal subject of the Russian Federation, which was reportedly issued to him by Russian authorities in the autumn of 2024.
The prisoner said that he had received just one week of training on coordination with Russian forces before being sent to combat, and he believed he was going to Russia for training, not to fight in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that it is common for Russian or North Korean forces to kill wounded North Korean soldiers in order to conceal their involvement in the war.
Quote from ISW: “North Korean forces are reportedly deploying large assault groups to combat operations despite frequent Ukrainian drone strikes, which is likely contributing to North Korea’s high casualty rates and will likely affect the lessons that the North Korean military command will learn from fighting in the war.”
Details: The Washington Post reported on 11 January that North Korean forces fighting in Kursk Oblast are launching attacks in large groups, supported by Russian artillery and drones, in contrast to Russian troops, who typically operate in smaller units.
North Korean soldiers are also reported to be disregarding Ukrainian drone strikes and continuing their advance despite being targeted by drones.
The Washington Post noted that Russian troops are following North Korean forces to “stabilise the gains,” but a Ukrainian soldier operating in Kursk Oblast stated that communication issues between Russian and North Korean troops may be hindering Russian efforts to secure new positions.
The Ukrainian soldier also mentioned that in December 2024, North Korean forces launched an assault with 400 to 500 troops, during which they outnumbered the Ukrainian forces by six to one.
A reported shortage of ammunition forced Ukrainian troops to retreat after eight hours of fighting, suggesting that North Korean forces rely on overwhelming numbers to advance despite employing poor tactics.
Quote: “ISW continues to assess that North Korea’s ability to learn and integrate lessons from fighting alongside Russian forces will likely be significantly degraded if the Russian military command uses North Korean troops in highly attritional infantry-led assaults in similar or greater sizes than it conducts with most Russian personnel.
North Korean forces’ inability or refusal to learn to effectively counter drones will also affect the lessons they can learn from the war.”
To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 11 January:
- Ukrainian forces reportedly captured the first North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) in Kursk Oblast.
- North Korean forces are reportedly deploying large assault groups to combat operations despite frequent Ukrainian drone strikes, which is likely contributing to North Korea’s high casualty rates and will likely affect the lessons that the North Korean military command will learn from fighting in the war.
- Russian leader Vladimir Putin maintains his maximalist pre-war demands to isolate Ukraine and weaken NATO and reportedly aims to enforce these demands in any possible talks with Western leaders about ending the war in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian forces may have conducted a drone strike against an oil refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan on 11 January, but details of the possible strike remain unclear at this time.
- Ukrainian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast.
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