Tactics of the North Koreans in Kursk: A Failed Effort With Heavy Losses

The presence of North Korean troops fighting against Ukraine marks a significant escalation in Russia’s war and a dangerous shift toward global involvement. With Ukrainian forces maintaining a strong position following their surprise August 2022 offensive into the Kursk region, Russia turned to its ally, North Korea, to fill its depleted ranks.

Despite initial estimates of up to 30,000 North Korean soldiers being sent to bolster Russian forces, the first clear evidence of their involvement surfaced in December 2024, revealing their heavy losses in combat.

Evidence of North Korean troop presence

A Ukrainian reconnaissance drone unit known as Maydar’s Birds released footage on December 15, showing the aftermath of a failed assault. The video, shared by unit commander Robert Brovdi, displayed twenty-two bodies lying in the snow—many confirmed to be North Korean troops.

The grim visuals, combined with intercepted communications and Ukrainian intelligence reports, leave little doubt about their presence in Kursk.

Ukrainian intelligence had earlier noted an influx of North Korean soldiers, with estimates suggesting that 11,000 North Korean troops had been moved westward from their initial staging grounds in Sergeyevka, Primorsky Krai, Russia. These troops, having traveled thousands of kilometers across Russia, were stationed in barracks near Kursk before being thrown into combat.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense also reported significant losses among the integrated Russian-North Korean units on December 14, claiming around 200 casualties. The same report referenced friendly fire incidents, including the accidental deaths of eight Chechen Akhmat fighters.

How North Korean soldiers fought and died

The tactics used by North Korean troops in the Kursk region appear rudimentary and outdated. Ukrainian sources describe these units being deployed in frontal assaults—highly visible, poorly coordinated advances that resulted in devastating casualties.

This approach, while reminiscent of North Korea’s Korean War-era doctrine, proved tragically ineffective against modern Ukrainian defenses equipped with drones, artillery, and precision weapons.

Brovdi noted the grim aftermath: after each wave of failed attacks, buggies carrying North Korean soldiers would arrive to recover bodies. The corpses were aligned, and their faces covered—likely to prevent identification and minimize international scrutiny.

This cycle of poorly executed assaults, recovery, and further losses played out repeatedly, said Brovdi.

Accounts from Ukrainian intelligence further indicate that the North Korean troops struggled to integrate into Russian units, contributing to operational chaos.

Reports from the frontlines referenced North Korean soldiers “gorging on pornography” in barracks, as noted by Gideon Rachman, the chief foreign affairs commentator at the Financial Times.

When North Korea last fought

The last significant combat involving North Korean soldiers occurred during the Korean War (1950–1953). In the decades since, the country’s military has remained largely inactive, despite boasting a massive standing force of over two million personnel.

While North Korean soldiers are often described as disciplined and ideologically hardened, the realities of modern warfare—dominated by drones, high-precision strikes, and technological integration—have exposed their lack of combat experience and preparedness.

No change in the Kursk direction

Despite the Kremlin’s hope that North Korean manpower could turn the tide in Kursk, their deployment has not achieved any measurable success. Ukrainian forces remain entrenched, holding key positions and inflicting heavy casualties on Russian and North Korean units alike.

“Moscow has dragged another nation into this war and to the fullest extent possible,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on December 14. “If this is not escalation, then what is?”

Russian leader Vladimir Putin reportedly aims to liberate the entirety of the Kursk region before Donald Trump returns to office, as every kilometer of Ukrainian-occupied territory on Russian soil could serve as a critical bargaining chip in future peace negotiations.

The North Korean units’ inability to change the course of the fight in Kursk lays bare the desperation behind Russia’s tactics. Instead of reclaiming territory, their presence has only deepened the chaos, piling more losses onto an already crumbling campaign.

This also highlights a troubling pattern in Russia’s approach to war—its willingness to send non-Russian minorities, including Central Asians, Africans, and now North Koreans, into the most dangerous assaults. The disproportionate slaughter of these groups on the battlefield underscores not just Moscow’s strategic failures, but the deeply ingrained racial hierarchy within its military machine.

For now, the situation in the Kursk region remains unchanged, and Russia’s gamble on foreign forces has brought little more than further embarrassment and human tragedy.