Gruesome Realities: North Korean Soldiers’ Zombie-Like Charges and Brutalities by Russian Forces

Asian soldiers staring blankly in fear at the appearance of unfamiliar military drones. They could only run in panic when attacked––.

In a video released by Ukraine’s 8th Special Operations Force in mid-December, soldiers believed to be North Korean troops dispatched to Russia were captured on camera. Unable to respond to unknown unmanned weapons, they were thrown into confusion, with casualties reportedly escalating.

“According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, around 11,000 North Korean troops are said to have been dispatched to Russia. Since December, they have been deployed to the Ukrainian front, with over 100 already dead and more than 1,000 wounded.

Ukraine’s media outlet ‘Evocation Info’ published footage of what is believed to be inside a hospital housing injured North Korean soldiers. It showed an Asian man lying on a bed with a cast on his arm, dragging a disabled leg as he walked down the corridor. Within the hospital, North Korean soldiers are reportedly housed on a separate floor from Russian soldiers, and meals specifically tailored for Asians are provided,” said a national newspaper reporter.

According to Reuters and other foreign media, North Korean troops are operating in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region. However, reports suggest that weapons and ammunition are inadequately supplied by the Russian side, leaving conditions extraordinarily grim.

 

“I cannot understand the attack at all.”

“North Korean soldiers are poorly equipped and reportedly engage in reckless charges against Ukrainian forces. A senior Ukrainian military official, speaking to ‘Radio Free Asia,’ described their actions, stating, ‘They rushed at us like zombies. It was an attack I couldn’t understand at all.’

They appear unable to understand the language, resulting in poor communication with the Russian side. There are also reports of frequent friendly-fire incidents with Chechen troops, who are also deployed in the Kursk region. The situation for the North Korean forces is utterly chaotic,” the same source said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on his social media, stating, ‘The Russian side is brutally burning the faces of the corpses to conceal the identities of the North Korean soldiers.’ What circumstances have led to such dire conditions for the North Korean troops? Iro Nakamura, professor emeritus at Tsukuba University and an expert on Russian affairs, provided an explanation:

“The Kursk region is Russian territory that has been taken over by Ukraine. Despite intensifying offensives since August, Russia has struggled to reclaim it. Deploying more Russian troops would risk higher casualties, which could lead to mounting domestic criticism. In response, President Vladimir Putin hurriedly forged a military alliance with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, resulting in the deployment of North Korean forces.

However, if it became known that Russia was relying on North Korean troops to retake its territory, it would be a humiliation for patriotic Russian citizens. To conceal this, they burn the faces of deceased North Korean soldiers to obscure their identities. Initially, Russia claimed that the Asian soldiers on the Ukrainian front were ‘Buddhists from eastern Siberia.’ Even now, Russia cannot openly admit to deploying North Korean forces on the front lines, and weapons and ammunition supplies to them remain inconsistent.”

Struggling to regain control over territory seized by Ukraine, Russia is reportedly requesting further troop reinforcements from North Korea.