“Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicate that North Korea’s deployment of large assault groups to fight alongside Russia, despite frequent Ukrainian drone strikes, contributes to the likely high level of North Korean casualties.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicate that North Korea’s deployment of large assault groups to fight alongside Russia, despite frequent Ukrainian drone strikes, contributes to the likely high level of North Korean casualties.
Source: ISW
Details: Ukrainian forces have reportedly captured the first North Korean prisoners of war in the Kursk region. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on January 11 that Ukrainian Special Operations Forces captured a North Korean soldier in the Kursk region on January 9, and recently Ukrainian airborne assault troops captured a second North Korean soldier in the area.
The SBU said that the Ukrainian authorities are cooperating with South Korean intelligence to communicate with the prisoners of war, since they do not speak English, Russian, or Ukrainian.
One of the prisoners of war had with him a Russian military ID of the Republic of Tuva, which, according to reports, was issued to him by the Russian authorities in the fall of 2024.
The POW said that he only trained in coordination with Russian forces for one week before being deployed and that he thought he was going to Russia for training, not to war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that usually Russian or North Korean forces kill wounded North Korean servicemen to hide their involvement in the war.
Literally ISW: “North Korean forces are reportedly deploying large strike groups to conduct combat operations despite frequent Ukrainian drone strikes, likely contributing to the high level of casualties on the North Korean side and likely influencing the lessons the North Korean military command will learn from combat operations in this war”.
Details: The Washington Post reported on January 11 that the North Koreans fighting in the Kursk region are attacking in large groups backed by Russian artillery and drones, unlike Russian troops who usually move in smaller groups.
It is also reported that North Korean soldiers ignore Ukrainian drones and continue to advance despite drone strikes on personnel.
According to The Washington Post, Russian troops are following North Korean troops to “stabilize gains,” but a Ukrainian military official operating in the Kursk region said communication problems between Russian and North Korean forces may be slowing Russian efforts to secure new positions.
The Ukrainian soldier also said that in December 2024, North Korean forces launched an assault with a force of 400 to 500 men, during which North Korean forces outnumbered Ukrainian forces six times.
A lack of ammunition reportedly forced Ukrainian forces to retreat after eight hours of fighting, a sign that North Korean forces are relying heavily on superior numbers of personnel to advance despite poor tactics.
Literally: “ISW continues to assess that North Korea’s ability to absorb and integrate lessons learned from combat operations alongside Russian forces is likely to be significantly impaired if the Russian military command engages North Korean forces in high-attrition attacks on the same or larger scale , than it happens with the majority of Russian personnel.
The inability or refusal of North Korean forces to learn how to effectively counter drones will also have a negative impact on the lessons they can learn from this war.”
ISW key findings for January 11:
- According to reports, Ukrainian troops captured the first North Korean prisoners of war in the Kursk region.
- North Korean forces are deploying large assault groups to conduct combat operations despite frequent Ukrainian drone strikes, which is likely contributing to the high level of casualties on the North Korean side and will likely affect the lessons the North Korean military command will learn from combat operations in this war.
- Russian leader Vladimir Putin is sticking to his maximalist pre-war demands to isolate Ukraine and weaken NATO, and reportedly intends to press those demands in any possible talks with Western leaders to end the war in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian forces may have carried out a drone strike on an oil refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan on January 11, but details of the possible strike remain unclear at this time.
- Ukrainian troops advanced in the Kursk region.