A North Korean soldier has described hellish scenes of slaughter in the Russian region of Kursk with “mountains of corpses” littering the battlefield, after his unit was wiped out by Ukrainian troops.
In a video circulating on social media, the soldier, seemingly taken prisoner by Ukraine, said the war was a “real hell”, and recalled scenes of burning bodies and machinery.
He blamed the deaths of his comrades on the “chaos” in Vladimir Putin‘s army, and accused Russia‘s President of deceiving North Korea’s “sun-faced leader Kim Jong-un“.
The Kremlin has turned to North Korea to help fill the ranks of its frontline troops, as it continues to suffer staggering casualties.
The White House believes that Kim has sent 10,000 troops to Russia – 8,000 of whom are believed to be operating in the border regions with Ukraine.
The reportedly captured North Korean was filmed claiming to his Ukrainian interrogators that he was the sole survivor of his 40-man unit, after it was thrown into an assault.
“There were about 40 of us but all are dead. I am left alone. I have nothing to lose,” he said in a video shared on X by pro-Ukrainian user Jürgen Nauditt.
“Russian dogs rushed us to attack. The enemy covered us with artillery and drones. My brother Kim and Minho died instantly.
“Kim’s head was blown off and I was hiding under their bodies.”
The soldier said he and his comrades had been told they would be used to build fortifications and would not have to perform combat duties.
However, their Russian commanders threw them straight into battle, with little preparation and without adequate weapons and equipment, he claimed.
He said: “We were used as bait and the blame for their deaths lies with the Russian army and President Putin. He deceived our Great leader the sun-faced Kim Jong-un.
“They have huge losses, that’s why they throw us on assaults. This is a trap.
“I saw mountains of corpses, the Russians do not take them from the battlefield. Burning machinery and human flesh everywhere.”
He added: “President Putin – your army is weak and will lose the war. Our brothers died because of the chaos in your army. It’s not a war, it’s a slaughter.”
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, told a White House press conference on Thursday that Putin’s deployment of North Koreans was a sign of desperation.
“Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine,” he said.
“Now he’s turning to North Korean troops, and that is a clear sign of weakness.”