Russia-Ukraine war: In a new development in the Russia-Ukraine war, North Korean soldiers, who had been deployed by their Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un to aid his ally, Vladimir Putin, in the raging conflict against Ukraine, have reportedly ‘disappeared’ from the battlefield. As per a report by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), there are currently no North Korean troops fighting against Ukraine in Russia.
Where did the North Korean troops ‘disappear’?
In December last year, over 11,000 North Korean troops had been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region to aid Russian forces in foiling Ukrainian counterattacks. However, in its report, the NIS has claimed that since mid-January, there have been no signs of North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region.
A New York Times (NYT) report claimed that North Korean troops have been withdrawn from the frontlines due to heavy casualties, a statement backed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who claims that around 4,000 North Korean soldiers were either injured or killed by his forces.
The NIS has put the figure close to about 3,000.
North Korean troops used as ‘human shields’, sent to frontlines
The NYT report alleged that North Korea’s soldiers were used as ‘human shields’ by Russian troops, and sent ahead as bait during drone or military ambushes, while Russian forces stayed behind to avoid losses. The tactic, though effective in countering Ukrainian attacks, resulted in thousands of North Korean soldiers being killed in action, while Russian troops suffered minimal losses, it said.
Russians shot North Korean soldiers
Notably, Ukrainian military commanders have corroborated reports about North Korean soldiers being used as bait, stating that the Russian army sent their allies to the forefront of the attacks, and had strict orders to commit suicide rather than surrendering to Ukrainian forces.
On several instances, Russian troops gunned down their North Korean counterparts to prevent them from being captured by Ukrainian army, they called.
Will North Korean troops return in Russia-Ukraine war?
According to the NIS, the absence of North Korean troops may be temporary and there might be plans deploy them on various battlefronts in coming months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that North Korea has sent another 25,000 troops towards Kursk to help aid their Russian counterparts, who he claims are being killed in large numbers by his army. In a recent statement, Ukrainian Defense Ministry claimed that 48,240 Russian soldiers were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war in January, making it the second highest number of deaths in any month in the nearly three-year Russia-Ukraine war.
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