North Korean involvement in Putin's war against Ukraine has been a disaster – for the North Koreans. Mykhailo Makaruk of Ukraine's 8th Special Operations Regiment told Radio Free Asia (RFA) about his encounters with North Korean forces.
In the video above, he describes them as acting like "zombies" who use outdated human wave tactics which result in them getting easily mowed down by artillery and drones.
It's clear that Putin is simply using the North Koreans as canon fodder.
In a related article from RFA, Sgt. Makaruk talks about how poorly Russia has equipped the North Koreans.
North Korean soldiers are fighting with deteriorated supplies and outdated weapons and may have been carrying no food rations during their recent combat operations in Russia’s Kursk region, a Ukrainian special operations sergeant told Radio Free Asia. [ ... ] “They have no military food in their bags. They have some grenades but it’s not even the Soviet type,” Makaruk said in an interview with RFA on Friday that was conducted in English. “It’s bullshit grenades. And they have lower level military medicine kits.” [ ... ]
Makaruk said the North Koreans appear to have Soviet standards for training, and all of their equipment –- including Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles -– seem to have been provided by the Russians. That included smaller items, such as Russian cigarettes as well as multiple lighters that they may have been collecting as souvenirs or for use as barter currency, he said. [ ... ]
He said he also found ID cards that labeled the North Korean troops as “non-combat soldiers” who were carrying out “civilian occupations.” The Ukrainian military has previously said that North Korean soldiers are using fake ID cards with Russian-style names to hide their identities.
So the North Koreans are insufficiently armed, undernourished, collecting Russian cigarette lighters to use as barter, and are given fake IDs. That sounds about right for Russia's military!
According to South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo, regarded as the country's equivalent of the New York Times, relatives of North Korean troops killed in military action in Russia essentially have to keep the deaths secret.
“The authorities gave me a casualty notice for my younger brother, who served in a North Korean special forces unit deployed to Russia. They emphasized not to speak about this to anyone, and made us place a fingerprint on the document.” The U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on Monday that North Korean authorities had delivered casualty notices for soldiers deployed to Russia to their families, while instructing them not to disclose the information. “After signing the ‘non-disclosure agreement,’ they returned home sobbing over the loss of their loved one,” RFA said, citing a family member from South Pyongan Province.
On Monday, President Zelenskyy reported losses of almost a batallion of Russian and North Korean troops fighting in Kursk oblast. Via The Kyiv Independent.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported significant losses among Russian and North Korean forces during recent clashes in Russia's southern Kursk region. "In battles yesterday and today near a single village, Makhnovka, in Kursk region, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops," Zelensky said in his evening address on Jan. 4, citing information from Ukraine's top commander.
So how is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un responding to this ongoing disaster? He's banning hot dogs (and a related dish called hot dog soup) as well as divorce.
Kim Jong-Un 'bans North Koreans from eating hot dog soup' 🌭 🍜
BONUS TRACK: Haven't posted one of these for a while. It's the daily tally of enemy (i.e. Russian) losses compiled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Збройні Сили України or ЗСУ for short).
As of 07 January 2025, the ЗСУ estimates a total of 800,010 casualties of Russian forces since the full scale invasion began on 24 February 2022. Presumably that includes foreigners fighting for Putin – like the North Koreans.
FYI: 800,010 is more than four US states and DC. It's a bit under the population of San Fransisco.
Remember when Russia called this a "three-day special operation"? It seems to have lasted 1,046 days longer than anticipated.