A shocking video has shown an horrific blunder by North Korean troops in Ukraine as a group of soldiers were slain on the Eastern European battlefield.
The ally of Vladimir Putin has sent a small portion of its own army to fight in the conflict.
Reports from November suggested that they had started engaging with Volodymyr Zelensky‘s troops.
The GUR, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, has estimated that around 11,000 North Korean soldiers are now stationed on Russian soil, primarily in Kursk.
They are said to be being deployed as infantry to bolster Russia’s numbers.
The service has also reported that eight Chechen fighters from the forces of Ramzan Kadyrov – a Russian politician and current leader of the Chechen Republic – were killed in “friendly fire” by North Koreans, according to EFE.
The Institute for the Study of War also reports that the same number of soldiers were killed, and that this was “likely due to the language barrier between the Russian and North Korean forces”.
The ISW reported on December 15 that North Korean forces are reportedly facing expected struggles with high casualties and poor communication with Russian forces in Kursk Oblast.
Researchers add that this is likely disrupting coordination between North Korean and Russian personnel and undermining Russian military operations.
The institute said: “Ukraine‘s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported on December 14 that North Korean forces operating in Kursk Oblast recently fired at Chechen ‘Akhmat’ Spetsnaz battalion vehicles and killed eight Chechen personnel in a friendly fire incident, likely due to the language barrier between the Russian and North Korean forces.
“The GUR noted that the language barrier also hinders effective combat coordination between Russian and North Korean forces.
“The GUR reported that a contingent consisting of Russian and North Korean servicemen in Kursk Oblast lost 200 personnel as of December 14 and that Ukrainian drones swarmed a North Korean position, which is consistent with recent reports of North Korean forces engaging in attritional infantry assaults.
“The poor integration and ongoing communication problems between Russian and North Korean forces will likely continue to cause friction in Russian military operations in Kursk Oblast in the near term.”
The military intelligence directorate of Ukraine has said that units of the North Korean army are being “restocked” after losses in the assaults on Kurshchyna.
A translated reported stated: “On December 14 and 15, 2024, in the areas of the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martinovka of the Kursk region of the aggressor state of Russia, units of the North Korean army suffered significant losses – at least 30 soldiers were killed and wounded.
“Also, in the area of the village of Kurylovka, at least three North Korean servicemen have gone missing.
“In connection with the losses, the assault groups are replenished with fresh personnel, in particular from among the 94th separate brigade of the North Korean army, to continue active combat operations in the Kursk region.”
Other accounts have been shared online.
It has been claimed that footage shows North Korean soldiers crossing an open field in Kursk region, who faced “a very predictable end”.
It has also been said that some Russians were “part of the suicide mission”.
Ukrainian drone operators reportedly watched on “in disbelief”.