Kim’s Human Blitzkrieg – Ukrainian Troops Reveal North Korean Tactics in Kursk

“Highly motivated, well-trained” and “courageous” is how Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky described the North Korean troops in an interview with Ukrainian media TSN on Monday.

These qualities were demonstrated by their relentless assaults on Ukrainian positions with little or no armor support, often moving without pause through mined terrain and under direct fire, as documented in a New York Times (NYT) report. , citing comments from Ukrainian troops and Pentagon officials.

At the same time, these tactics also reflect poor coordination between Russian and North Korean troops, where Pyongyang’s highly trained troops trained to carry out surgical strikes are used as cannon fodder, according to Celeste A. Wallander, who until ‘on Inauguration Day was the Pentagon aide. Secretary for International Security Affairs.

“It’s partly about two different armies that have never trained or operated together and partly, I think, about Russian military culture, which is, let’s say, not very respectful of capabilities, standards and operations of partner forces,” Wallander told the New York Times.

According to a North Korean soldier captured by kyiv, he and his comrades received only a week of integration training in the Russian army before combat.

North Korean tactics

“It’s just forward, forward… It’s motivation, orders and strict discipline,” Andrii, a Ukrainian commander identified only by his first name under military protocols, described North Korean tactics. in a comment to the New York Times.

Andrii demonstrated the North Korean tactics using video taken from the front using a drone-mounted thermal camera earlier this month, in which assault groups of five to eight Soldiers were seen advancing slowly and regrouping in a tree line before attacking a Ukrainian trench. .

Andrii said there were about 50 North Korean soldiers present in the operation, many of whom were shot while advancing on foot a distance of about 8 kilometers.

But they continued.

The video showed reinforcements taking the place of the wounded and continuing their advance without retreating.

“It feels like they came here specifically to die, and they themselves know it,” Oleksii, a platoon commander, described his experience with North Korean troops in a commentary to the New York Times.

The aging human wave doctrine from the Korean War, as seen today at Kursk, remains strong in the North Korean military, a cost Pyongyang sees as necessary to become more proficient in modern warfare, Seoul intelligence officials told the New York Times.

Oleksii also said Pyongyang’s troops were looking for breaches to wear down Ukraine’s defenses.

“The Koreans are starting to push back the front lines, targeting the least defended areas and thus exhausting our troops,” Oleksii added.

The New York Times said North Korean troops stormed the positions without securing them, leaving that task to their Russian counterparts. They would either continue to storm new positions or withdraw if necessary.

Andrii also told the New York Times that Pyongyang troops were observed evacuating the wounded, which he said was different from their Russian counterparts.

North Korean troops were also reportedly instructed to commit suicide to prevent capture. In one case, a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) agent allegedly dissuaded someone from using Korean.

But capturing North Koreans – only two captured by kyiv so far – to better understand North Korean operations is also proving difficult, with Russian troops working to keep them quiet at all costs.

“If the Russians see captured Koreans, they use drones to finish them off – killing both the Koreans and our soldiers,” Oleksii told the New York Times, adding that some members of his units have been killed this way.

Command structure, integration

In terms of command structure, available data showed that units of the two armies operate largely independently of each other, with coordination being ensured at a high level between headquarters generals.

Ukrainian military intelligence claimed Pyongyang sent 500 officers and at least three generals to help Russia, while unnamed Pentagon officials said the generals were stationed at the Russian command and control headquarters.

Commanders determine when artillery support is needed and when ground troops advance. They also coordinate directly with ground troops to avoid any interaction between North Korean field units and Russian command, minimizing the risk of misunderstandings, a senior Pentagon official told the New York Times.

That said, intercepted calls between Russian troops reportedly showed attempts to integrate North Korean troops – whom they called “the Chinese” – into front-line Russian units, at least in the early days of the deployment of reinforcements by Pyongyang.

Despite attempts to integrate North Korean troops into the Russian military, the results have been insufficient due to various factors, U.S. officials and Ukrainian troops said.

The problems ranged from a lack of Russian uniforms small enough for Pyongyang’s troops to poor communication that led to at least two friendly fire incidents, according to U.S. officials and Ukrainian troops.

“Now they have started to form groups that include a translator or someone who speaks Russian with a radio, but these groups are not very effective,” Ukrainian commander Andrii told the New York Times.

Adaptation to modern warfare

North Korean troops have also adapted to drone warfare to some extent, a diary discovered at the front shows.

“At the same time, the one who baits the drone keeps a distance of seven meters, while those who shoot stay 10-12 meters away. If the bait remains still, the drone will also stop moving. At that point, the shooter eliminates the drone,” it read, describing the improvised tactics against Ukrainian drones.

The Kyiv Post recently analyzed a video purportedly showing Ukrainian drones targeting a North Korean soldier, with a small explosion seen on the drone’s camera before a soldier with a bloodied face is seen lying on the ground, turning away. side to side.

Another video reportedly shows North Korean troops evicting residents from their homes to protect themselves from Ukrainian drones.

At the same time, some Ukrainian troops said the North Koreans’ small arms mastery allowed them to shoot down drones with basic automatic weapons, with Ukrainian troops warning not to underestimate North Korean forces .

Ukraine’s countermeasures

To counter North Korean anti-drone tactics, Ukrainian troops are now targeting concentrated troops rather than individuals, drone pilots told the New York Times.

Instead of laying landmines 15 meters (49 feet) apart, they are now spaced no more than five meters (16 feet) apart to deter North Korea’s relentless advances.

Fighting one of the world’s largest armies was difficult enough, but adding another to its side – with North Korea also being one of the world’s largest armies, with around 1.3 million active troops in his country – platoon commander Oleksii told the New York Times that Ukraine is now fighting “on the edge” of what is possible.

But this is an evolving tactical battle between the two.

“They are tested, really tested,” said Ukrainian commander Andrii. He said that even if they didn’t have combat experience, that wouldn’t be the case anymore.

“…now they are here, they are gaining ground and they are becoming very strong.”