North Korean troops in Ukraine gain battlefield experience, cementing alliance with Russia

Ukrainian forces have been preparing for weeks to confront an unfamiliar enemy: North Korean soldiers sent to reinforce Moscow's troops after a swift Ukrainian summer incursion into Russia’s Kursk region and the capture of territory. Their arrival marks a new and concerning phase of the war. Although initially inexperienced on the battlefield, the North Korean soldiers have been adapting rapidly, a development that could have far-reaching implications as they gain combat knowledge in the war against Ukraine.

Unlike the Russian forces that Ukraine has been fighting for nearly three years, Kyiv’s troops are unsure how to deal with this new adversary. This new opponent became involved in the war after Moscow and Pyongyang signed an agreement pledging to provide military assistance, using "all means," if either side is attacked. A Ukrainian soldier who has witnessed the North Koreans in action described them as disciplined and highly organized, stating they are more professional than the Russian soldiers. The soldier spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the sensitive military matter.

However, other soldiers, including Ukrainian special forces, have shared videos taken by battlefield drones on the Telegram messaging app, mocking their outdated tactics. Nevertheless, there is a consensus among Ukrainian soldiers, military intelligence, and others monitoring developments on the ground: although Pyongyang's troops lacked battlefield experience upon arrival, this is rapidly changing. North Korea has a 1.2 million-strong military, one of the largest active-duty forces in the world. But its limited foreign military operations since the Korean War have left them inexperienced with modern warfare technologies such as drones.

“For the first time in decades, the North Korean army is gaining real military experience. This is a challenge not only for Ukraine and Europe, but for the whole world,” said Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine's military intelligence agency. While Ukraine, the United States, and South Korea claim that Pyongyang has dispatched between 10,000 and 12,000 soldiers to fight alongside the Russians in the Kursk border region, Moscow has never publicly acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops. Reports about their presence first emerged in October, but Ukrainian forces only confirmed engaging them on the ground in December.

Analysts say that without the influx of North Korean troops, it would be difficult for Russia to implement its strategy of overwhelming Ukraine by committing large numbers of soldiers to the Kursk campaign. Although Moscow's counteroffensive in Kursk has caused thousands of casualties to Ukraine, Kyiv's overstretched forces have still managed to hold about half of the 984 square kilometers (380 square miles) of territory they captured in August, despite the situation remaining fluid. Besides the symbolic impact of Ukraine's successful capture of Russian territory, control of Kursk could also be a bargaining chip in any ceasefire negotiations.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, the North Korean soldiers are fighting alongside Russian forces, who provide reconnaissance and electronic warfare support. According to a report from a Ukrainian military unit that has observed them on the battlefield, the North Koreans wear Russian military uniforms and carry fake military IDs in their pockets, making it easy to mistake them for Russian soldiers. Yusov said this disguise means that Moscow and its representatives at the United Nations can deny the facts. One of the things that proves their presence, Yusov said, is that they have been heard speaking Korean with a North Korean accent in intercepted communications.

He said that the North Korean troops are using their own weapons and equipment, and have learned to deal with improvised explosive device drones, which have become a symbol of this war, first-hand experience that even some NATO members do not have. “This is a new level of threat. Regional countries must prepare for what this means in the future,” Yusov said. The early mistakes made by the North Koreans were largely due to inexperience, such as moving in groups in open terrain, which made them easy targets for drones and artillery fire.

According to reports from Ukrainian military units, the North Korean soldiers are easily spotted because they move in single-file columns in the forest, in groups of three, with soldiers spaced 3 to 5 meters (yards) apart. In open terrain, they move in scattered formations of 5 to 15 soldiers, which makes them vulnerable to attack and has led to significant losses. However, the reports said that during nighttime operations, their movements are fast, with troops using red flashlights to orient themselves along routes. "They are fast, physically fit, and strictly follow their algorithms. If you train the same procedure repeatedly for years until you can do it with your eyes closed, it works," said a Ukrainian soldier who spoke to the AP.

Although they are disciplined, their lack of combat experience has hindered their effectiveness. Ukrainian military reports indicate that the North Korean troops often suffer significant losses, with many being killed by drones. On Thursday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy put the number of North Korean casualties at 4,000, while U.S. estimates are lower, around 1,200. "Many of their military theories and training are based on strategies and experiences from more than half a century ago," said Hlib Voloskyi, a military analyst at the Ukrainian think tank CBA Initiative Center.

Large troop formations date back to a time when artillery was significantly less accurate, and observing troop movements was more difficult. Today, reconnaissance and so-called “first-person view” drones, or FPVs, which transmit video and allow soldiers to strike targets in real time, make the battlefield highly transparent, and anyone who enters the field without cover, let alone moving in groups, is immediately spotted. “But it’s only a matter of time before they acquire the necessary skills to increase their combat effectiveness, which, combined with their discipline and training, could make them a significant military force,” Voloskyi said.

After weeks of fighting, Ukrainian soldiers have captured only two prisoners of war. Zelenskyy said when announcing the capture on Saturday that taking them alive was "not easy" because of the efforts to conceal the presence of the North Koreans and to avoid Ukrainian interrogations. Zelenskyy said that the North Korean soldiers are avoiding surrender at all costs. Analysts say this may stem from propaganda within North Korea that depicts capture as the greatest shame. “Being taken alive is considered a betrayal of the nation, the leader, and everything they stand for,” said Seongmin Lee, a North Korean defector who is based at the Human Rights Foundation in New York and defected in 2009.

He said that this belief is ingrained from a young age and reinforced throughout military training. "Due to the shame associated with surrender, a heroic soldier is supposed to save his last bullet to commit suicide," Lee said. Lee said that he has shared photos of dead North Korean soldiers with his contacts in his hometown. “Most North Koreans don’t even know what’s happening,” he said. Dorothy Camille Shea, the U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations, warned that the North Korean troops’ rapidly improving battlefield skills in Kursk are a danger.

Shea told the 15-member UN Security Council on Wednesday that North Korea "is reaping significant benefits from gaining access to Russian military equipment, technology, and experience, making it more capable of waging war against its neighbors." She said that as an additional potential benefit, North Korea “will likely be eager to use these improvements to promote global arms sales and military training contracts.”