North Korean soldiers who joined their Russian allies in the battle against Ukrainian forces have been removed from the front After suffering serious casualtiesaccording to Ukrainian and American officials to the newspaper .
Pionyang’s troops, sent to reinforce the Russian forces trying They have not been seen on the front for approximately two weeksthe aforementioned officials were refined in the information released this morning.
Caused it alarm in Ukraine and among its allies in the West, which They feared that their deployment would point out a significant escalation in the war that lasts almost three years. But In just three monthsNorth Korean ranks They have been reduced by halfaccording to General Oleksandr Syrsky, the main military commander of Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops who have fought against North Koreans have described them as fierce warriors. But the disorganization in their ranks and with the Russian units They have rapidly increased LowSaid a Ukrainian official. “Since they arrived at the battlefield, North Korean soldiers They have had to fend for themselvesadvancing with Few armored vehicles and rarely stopping to regroup the backwards “according to Ukrainian officials and first -line troops.
The critics of Ukraine military leadership criticized last year’s offensive in the Russian region of Kursk, started in August, as A waste of resources at a time when the army within Ukraine is hesitating before a prolonged Russian attack. But the president has insisted on all these months on Maintain the territory during as long as possibleas a currency in future peace negotiations. He doesn’t want to keep that invasionhe insists, but negotiate with her.
The longer the Ukrainian troops keep Kursk, the more embarrassing It turns to the president of Russia ,. Although Putin has promised to expel Ukrainian forces, He has hesitated to divert troops from the main Russian operations in eastern Ukrainepartly to strengthen your position in future negotiations.
Cannon fodder
In that contest Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea and Putin’s ally intervened. It was Kim who proposed to send troops to help the Russians in Kurskaccording to American intelligence agencies, although Putin quickly hugged the idea.
Many of the soldiers are among the best trained special operations troops in North Korea, but The Russians seem to have used them as foot soldiers, sending them in waves through fields planted with land mines to be annihilated for the intense Ukrainian fire.
American officials said that the decision to withdraw North Korean troops from the front line It may not be permanent. It is possible, they said, that the North Koreans can or after the Russians find new ways to display them to avoid such numerous casualties.
In any case, the fight to expel Kursk’s Ukrainian forces is Far from finishing. A few weeks ago, the Ukrainian forces launched a New offensive In the region, but they have been beaten by Russian defenses. Although the Ukrainians took Around 800 kilometers From Russian territory when they crossed the border last summer, Russian forces have been able to recover approximately half of that amount.
The Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk region in August He shocked the Kremlin. It was the first time in 10 years of struggle between the two countriesincluding Russia’s large -scale invasion in 2022, that Ukrainian troops had taken and maintained Russian territory. In a speech this week, Zelenski praised the Ukrainian troops fighting in the Kursk region, saying that their efforts to protect the Ukrainian territory from the northeast of additional Russian offensives.
It is very likely that Kim has his own motivations To help Russia in Kursk. American officials say that Putin expects Putin to return the favor in the future, providing help for North Korea missile programs and diplomatic support in the United Nations.
North Korea has also supplied Russia Millions of artillery projectileswhich now represent approximately half of the ammunition that Russia triggers daily, together with rockets and missilesaccording to Western and Ukrainian intelligence officials. Russia has been supplying North Korea oil, food and some weapons improvements.
Last summer, a few months before Ukraine launched his incursion at Kursk, Putin met with Kim in Pyongyang, where they restored A Military Cooperation Treaty Among its countries, of the Age of the Cold War.
