North Korean Troops Used in Russia’s Human Wave Attacks in Kursk Region

Russia is deploying North Korean soldiers to fight in the Kursk region without armored support, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation on December 16.

“North Koreans are concentrated in wooded areas and then pushed to assault narrow sections of the front from multiple directions at once. Their losses are significant,” Kovalenko stated.

He added that Russian military bloggers avoid discussing the failures of North Korean units, instead promoting narratives of their supposed successes while concealing heavy casualties.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) revealed that between December 14 and 15, units of the North Korean military suffered severe losses in the areas of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martynivka in Russia’s Kursk region. At least 30 soldiers were killed or wounded.

Additionally, 3 North Korean servicemen went missing near the village of Kurilovka. Following these losses, assault groups have been replenished with new personnel, particularly from the 94th Separate Brigade of the North Korean Army, to sustain continued offensive actions in the Kursk region.

Earlier, the commander of the Ukrainian special drone unit 'Ptakhy Madyara' shared footage showing the aftermath of a battle in the Kursk region, where the bodies of Russian soldiers were found alongside those of North Korean soldiers.