North Korean troops fighting a 21st century war with 19th century war tactics

 

  North Korean troops fighting a 21st century war with 19th century war tactics

  North Korean troop update: You may recall Vladimir Putin seems to need the help of North Korean soldiers as he continues his invasion of Ukraine. But according to one Ukrainian drone unit commander, “The North Koreans are running across the fields, and there are so many of them. They don’t understand what’s happening,” researcher Franz-Stefan Gady reported on social media Tuesday.

  “I don’t know if they don’t understand what’s going on or if the Russians are deliberately sending them like that. I can’t say,” the Ukrainian said. “We had never seen anything like it — 40 to 50 people running across a field. That’s a perfect target for artillery and Mavic [drone] operators. Russians never ran like that,” he said.

 “They’re different from the Russians, who have learned to run or hide from drones, only shooting at them from cover,” a different Ukrainian drone pilot said. “The [North] Koreans just shoot indiscriminately, standing there firing,” he told Gady. 

 ‘Several hundred’ North Korean troops killed fighting Ukraine, says US official

‘All ranks’ among casualties in Kursk after Pyongyang sent thousands of soldiers to reinforce Russia’s war effort.

 North Korean forces have suffered “several hundred” casualties fighting against Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region, according to a senior US military official.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce Russia’s war effort, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.

“Several hundred casualties is our latest estimate that the DPRK has suffered,” the official said on condition of anonymity, using an abbreviation for North Korea’s official name.

This “would include everything from … light wounds up to being KIA (killed in action)”, the official said, with soldiers of “all ranks” among the casualties.

“These are not battle-hardened troops. They haven’t been in combat before,” the official said, adding that this was probably contributing to “why they have been suffering the casualties that they have at the hands of the Ukrainians”.

The official’s comments on casualties came after Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Russia has used North Korean troops at the heart of an “intensive offensive” in Kursk over several days.

North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A landmark defence pact between Pyongyang and Moscow signed in June came into force earlier this month.

Experts say the nuclear-armed North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is keen to acquire advanced technology from Russia and battle experience for his troops.

US President Joe Biden’s administration has been a key supporter of Kyiv, and has been rushing to provide it with billions of dollars in already authorised aid before president-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.

Developing: European officials are considering sending troops to Ukraine on the chance Kyiv and Moscow reach some kind of ceasefire in the months ahead. But there’s hardly any consensus on the decision, Reuters reported Wednesday from Paris.