Is Russia abandoning the “human wave” of North Korean soldiers on the war front with Ukraine? What Zelensky revealed

According to Ukrainian officials, North Korean troops deployed in Russia’s Kursk region are facing significant casualties and inadequate support from Russian forces. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Russian troops were sending North Korean soldiers into battle with minimal protection, which he described as “very significant” casualties.

“We see that neither the Russian military nor their North Korean supervisors have any interest in ensuring the survival of these North Koreans,” Zelenskyi noted during his late-night video address.

It has been suggested that Russian military and North Korean troop supervisors they made the soldiers who are abandoned to be taken prisoner or die on the war front with Ukraine.

Casualties and despair of North Korean soldiers

Zelenskyy highlighted the extreme measures North Korean soldiers take to avoid capture, noting that “several” wounded soldiers have died after being taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces.

This alarming situation echoed John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council in Washingtonwhich indicated that the troops sent by Pyongyang were opting for self-destruction rather than facing capture. He described the deployment as a “human wave” of North Korean soldiers sent on “hopeless” attacks by generals who see them as being used.

Recent estimates suggest that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in the past week alone, corroborating similar figures reported by South Korea. Since their deployment to assist Russian forces, some 11,000 North Korean troops have been sent to the front line following a mutual defense pact signed between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin.

North Korean troops inexperienced in fighting Ukraine

While this implementation provides North Korea valuable experience on the battlefieldhis poorly trained soldiers are fighting in unknown territory. Reports indicate that they were particularly vulnerable to Ukrainian drone strikes.

In one notable incident, a North Korean soldier inadvertently shot his comrade while trying to shoot down a drone that was capturing their actions on film.

According to South Korean military officials, the death toll of North Korean troops since their arrival at Kursk has reached alarming levels.

Zelenskyy said preliminary data indicated that more than 3,000 North Korean personnel were either killed or wounded in the fighting.

The logistical challenges of North Korean troops fighting for Russia

The Ukrainian Military Intelligence (GUR) reported severe logistical challenges facing North Korean units on the front lines, including a lack of potable water due to active hostilities.

Despite these difficulties, Russian forces continue to provide ammunition and food to support their positions and maintain offensive operations.

The presence of North Korean troops marks a dramatic escalation in the conflict in Ukraine as Russia seeks to strengthen its forces in the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces have made territorial gains this year.

This collaboration between Moscow and Pyongyang reflects an attempt by Vladimir Putin to escalate the conflict by directly involving an allied nation.

South Korea also said North Korea was “producing and supplying self-destruct drones” — believed to refer to attack drones — for use by Russia, along with missile launchers and self-propelled artillery.