“Excellent physically and mentally… “I was well trained and I’m good at using fire extinguishers.”
“We have excellent infantry conditions… “The Wagner mercenary is a child.”
“A surprising number of Ukrainian drones were shot down… “Can’t be underestimated.”
Ukrainian soldiers testified that the North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s Kursk region were not just “bullet cannons” as they were known, but were “skilled and courageous soldiers who possessed all the qualities of a good infantryman.”
Politico reported on the 13th (local time) that Ukrainian soldiers who participated in the Battle of Kursk described the North Korean army as “highly skilled, fearless and motivated infantry.”
It is far from the known image of an inexperienced cannonball who runs away as soon as he is sent into battle.
Ukrainian military spokesman Lt. Col. Yaroslav Chepurny said in an interview with Politico that day, “They are young and motivated, physically fit and brave, and good at using small arms. “They are also well trained,” he said. “They have everything they need to become good infantrymen.”
Yuri Bondar, a member of the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade, assessed that North Korean soldiers received excellent physical training and that their morale was stable.
In a post he posted on Facebook the previous day, he said, “The enemy does not surrender. “When they are in danger of being captured, they throw a grenade near their head and detonate themselves,” he explained. “Then, those remaining on the battlefield are sprayed with flammable liquid and burned.”
Bondar also said the North Korean military was highly skilled with small arms and had shot down a “surprisingly high number” of Ukrainian drones.
“They show (remarkable) psychological resilience,” he said. “Imagine one of them running up to get attention, and the other in ambush shooting down the drone with aimed fire,” he pointed out.
Bondar continued, “As one commander said, the (Russian) Wagner mercenaries of 2022 are just children compared to North Korean soldiers. “And I believe that,” he said, adding, “Underestimating the enemy always leads to defeat.”
About 11,000 North Korean soldiers are dispatched to the Kursk region. Our National Intelligence Service (NIS) estimated that as of the 13th, more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been harmed, including 300 dead and 2,700 injured. The National Intelligence Service analyzed that the Russian military used the North Korean military as a cannon fodder, and the North Korean military also suffered great damage due to its lack of experience with long-distance drones and modern warfare.
Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers on the 11th. The National Intelligence Service, which is participating in the interrogation, determined that they were members of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is in charge of external operations under North Korea’s General Staff. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a prisoner exchange to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with one of them reportedly wanting to remain in Ukraine and the other wanting to return to North Korea.
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