North Korean soldiers fighting on the side of Russia against Ukraine have adapted quickly and are now a serious problem for Ukrainian forces, writes The Wall Street Journal, quoted by UNIAN agency.
In December, about 12,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to the Kursk region, where Russian troops were trying to push back Ukrainian armed forces. Initially, Kim Jong-un's soldiers were described by military experts as unprepared for modern warfare.
They moved across the front without the support of artillery, drones and armored vehicles, which made them easy prey for Ukrainian soldiers. After months of fighting, however, the North Korean army appears to be adapting.
The WSJ reports that North Korean soldiers fighting on Russia's side are now moving in smaller groups, have the support of Russian arsenals, and are also more integrated with Russian troops. Military analysts say that North Korean troops have quickly adapted to the way of fighting in Kursk.
After suffering heavy losses at the beginning, North Korean troops withdrew from the battlefield in early January, but returned about a month later. Since then, North Korean soldiers have become some of the most valuable on the battlefield, as better integration with Russian forces and superior tactics are combined with their endurance, Ukrainian soldiers and analysts say.
Russia is on track to regain full control of the Kursk region after pushing Ukrainian forces from one of their last control points there, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a statement by the governor of the region in western Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry released video footage of the capture of the village of Guevo, one of the last settlements in Russia's Kursk region occupied by Kiev forces, showing smoke rising from various buildings, a soldier waving a Russian flag from the window of an Orthodox church damaged in the attacks and soldiers checking house by house for hiding Ukrainian soldiers.
"Parts of "The Russian Defense Ministry's military group "North" liberated the Guevo area in Kursk region during offensive operations," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily statement yesterday, BTA reports.
Reuters notes that it can verify where the video was shot using files and satellite images of the area, but not when it was taken. Kiev has not yet commented on the incident.
Russia has been trying to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk region since August last year, after Kiev troops launched a surprise incursion that upset Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had hoped would serve as a bargaining chip in possible future negotiations. However, in the past few weeks, Russian forces have regained some territory in Kursk region, pushing Ukrainian troops back toward the border. Russian forces have also begun seizing territory in neighboring Ukraine's Sumy region after Putin raised the possibility of establishing a buffer zone, Reuters notes.