Suicidal tendencies and ’80s battlefield tactics: How North Korean soldiers are operating in Russia’s war on Ukraine
Nick Paton Walsh, Rebecca Wright, Daria Tarasova-Markina, Victoria Butenko and Brice Laine | January 28, 2025 | 6:53 PM ESTSumy, Ukraine
CNN
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Detonating a grenade under the chin rather than being captured. Using a fellow soldier to lure out attack drones. Removing body armor plates and helmets to enable faster attacks on foot. Writing pledges of allegiance to North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
These are the brutal and near-suicidal tactics of North Korean soldiers, who have, since November, been deployed to repel Ukraine’s incursion in the southern Russian border region of Kursk.
Up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, according to Western intelligence reports, which say around 4,000 troops have been killed or injured . . .
. . . CNN has gained a rare insight into the world of North Korean troops fighting for Russia in interviews with Ukrainian special operations forces who told CNN the North Koreans they faced in intense fighting did not surrender.
In one video, shared with CNN, a Ukrainian soldier approaches an injured North Korean soldier who was lying face down, during clashes. As the Ukrainian pulls the North Korean soldier’s leg to see if he is still alive, the North Korean lets out a scream in Korean before detonating a grenade next to his head.
The Ukrainians swiftly open fire and dive back. South Korean lawmakers were told by the country’s intelligence service, who have provided assistance to Kyiv, that the soldier in the video’s last words were: “General Kim Jong Un.”
“They use grenades, which means they can blow themselves up,” said Pokémon, the call sign of a commander with the 6th Special Operations Forces, who like the other Ukrainian soldiers CNN spoke to, did not want to give his name for security reasons.
“They can just brazenly go into battle until they are neutralized,” Pokémon said, adding: “Despite all attempts to call them to surrender, they will continue to fight.” . . .
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/28/europe/north-korean-soldiers-fighting-for-russia-intl-cmd/index.html
