InternationalNews
Ukraine: North Korean Troops Have “No Significant Impact” in Battles
A Ukrainian military intelligence official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday that the involvement of North Korean forces in combat against Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region “has not had a significant impact” on the course of the battles.
According to Kyiv, 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including “about 500 officers and three generals,” are participating in the fighting in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. Since August, the Ukrainian army has reclaimed several hundred square kilometers of territory in the area.
Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has ever confirmed the presence of North Korean units fighting alongside the Russian army.
Yevgeny Yerin, a spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence, told AFP, “The participation of North Koreans in the fighting has not significantly impacted the situation.”
He added that North Korean forces lack modern combat experience, especially against drones, which are now widely used on the battlefield. He noted that their tactics are “more primitive than those of World War II and its aftermath.”
However, Yerin acknowledged, “But they are also learning. We cannot underestimate the enemy, and we see that they are already taking certain aspects into account in their activities.”
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, North Korean forces are mainly deployed near the Russian towns of Ruskaya Konopelka, Plikhovo, and Ulanok in the Kursk region.
These statements come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that nearly 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been “killed or wounded” since they began participating in the fighting. On Monday, Seoul also reported that 1,100 North Korean troops had been “killed or injured” in combat.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff have observed preparations that suggest North Korea may send additional units to Russia, along with drones.
