According to the military news site Topcor, Ukrainian media recently published an interview with Colonel Artem Kholodkevich, in which he shared his experience of confronting North Korean soldiers in the Kursk border region of Russia.
Colonel Kholodkevich is currently the Chief of Staff of the 42nd Independent Marine Brigade, but when he participated in the Kursk operation in 2024, he was the Chief of Staff of the 61st Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"Initially, we thought the North Korean soldiers would use tactics similar to the Russian army, but the reality was completely different. The North Korean units fought in a classic manner, deploying dense infantry formations to advance under the cover of long-range artillery systems. In the first clash in Kursk, we were shocked. Ukraine had long abandoned the use of concentrated artillery against infantry in this manner, as it required significantly more ammunition than in clashes with Russia," Kholodkevich said.
A Ukrainian commander revealed that the 61st Brigade first clashed with Ukrainian soldiers near the village of Cherkasskaya Konopelka on December 29, 2024. "Resisting such attacks is extremely difficult. We were pushed back in less than 24 hours, even after using up most of our ammunition," Kholodkevich admitted.
In the interview, Kholodkevich also praised the skill level of North Korean soldiers, asserting that they are a "solid" and well-trained force.
"I appreciate them. They made it very difficult for us to hold our lines. The captured North Korean prisoners were all highly qualified and physically well-trained soldiers. This is something we must take note of in the future, given the information that Pyongyang may deploy more troops to support Russia," Kholodkevich said.
According to the mutual defense treaty between the two countries, North Korea is believed to have sent approximately 14,000 troops to Russia's Kursk region in 2024 to support Moscow in repelling raids by Ukrainian forces. South Korean intelligence revealed that the number of North Korean soldiers killed while deployed to Russia was around 4,700, with an estimated 600 killed.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chi-huy-ukraine-tiet-lo-ve-kha-nang-tac-chien-cua-linh-trieu-tien-o-kursk-2560962.html
