Ekaterina Girnyk10:12, 10.01.25

As the Ukrainian Armed Forces note, North Korean soldiers are using a “meat grinder strategy” at the front.

North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region are using a “meat grinder” strategy, a soldier with the 33rd separate assault battalion, codenamed “Leopard”, told The Times as he described a close-quarters clash with North Korean troops in the village of Makhnovka.

According to him, the North Koreans are using people instead of sapper vehicles.

“They just walk in a single row, three or four meters from each other, if one blows up, then the medics go behind and take the dead, and the crowd continues to walk one after another. That’s how they get through minefields,” Leopard said.

According to him, during the battle for the village, the DPRK soldiers were mixed with Russians in one unit to try to hide their identity, but they were at a disadvantage because they only use small arms, machine guns, grenade launchers, and at most mortars.

The fighter noted that North Korean soldiers do not yet use drones.

“But I suspect they are starting to learn, and the longer the war goes on, the more likely they are to innovate,” he said.

At the same time, although the DPRK soldiers are well trained and physically fit, they need to be assigned guides to help them navigate the foreign terrain and climate, says “Leopard”. His battalion was able to capture one of the Russian guides, but the North Koreans refuse to surrender alive, preferring to fight to the death or try to escape. At the same time, their commanders do not seem to be concerned about the deaths of their men, notes the Ukrainian fighter.

After the North Korean troops were driven out of the village, they tried to hide in the forest, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces discovered them with a drone and then threw grenades at them.

“Yesterday I saw four North Koreans killed in just 15 minutes, and in the last two days I have counted 120 killed,” Leopard said.

(C)UNIAN 2025