Kim Jong Un’s Army Bleeds For Putin: North Korean Losses Mount in Ukraine (Video)

Reports indicate a significant and grim involvement of North Korean troops in Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, resulting in devastating casualties for Pyongyang’s forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that North Korean soldiers have been fighting alongside Russian invaders, with many captured personnel subsequently dying from their injuries. Figures suggest that out of approximately 11,000 North Korean personnel deployed, around 5,000 have been killed or wounded since their largely unacknowledged deployment began accelerating after the Putin Kim summit in September 2023. This represents a staggering fifty percent casualty rate, painting a stark picture of the cost North Korea is paying for its allegiance to the Kremlin.

The support from Pyongyang initially focused on supplying desperately needed ammunition and military equipment to Moscow, but evolved into troop deployments by October 2024. Many of these soldiers are described as young and lacking substantial combat experience, thrust into the fierce fighting on Ukrainian soil. British intelligence corroborates the high casualty figures, attributing them partly to the effectiveness of Ukraine’s drone fleet which has proven adept at targeting enemy positions. Furthermore, North Korean tactical approaches have reportedly contributed significantly to their losses. Unlike Russian forces who often employ more measured tactics, North Korean units have been observed engaging in aggressive frontline assaults, sometimes sending waves of soldiers against fortified Ukrainian positions without adequate armoured or artillery support. This approach, driven perhaps by ideological conviction, proves reckless and tragically inefficient in the face of modern warfare tactics employed by Ukraine’s defenders.

Witness accounts from the Ukrainian side describe North Korean units seldom retreating, often fighting until nearly wiped out. A critical factor compounding their vulnerability is the severe lack of modern communication technology. While Ukrainian forces utilise sophisticated digital coordination systems, captured North Korean soldiers were often found relying on basic walkie talkies, with sometimes only a single radio per detachment. This primitive communication setup, combined with language barriers requiring translators, has led to poor coordination between North Korean and Russian units, according to Ukrainian intelligence assessments. Their unfamiliarity with modern battlefield threats like drone surveillance and precision artillery strikes has also left them highly exposed. Recent incidents include the destruction by Ukrainian forces of three North Korean supplied M1978 Koksan long range howitzers, detected hidden amongst trees and eliminated by coordinated rocket artillery fire.

Despite these heavy human and material losses, Kim Jong Un’s regime appears to see strategic benefits in supporting Moscow’s war effort. The partnership provides Pyongyang with much needed foreign currency and potentially access to advanced Russian military technology, while aiding its own defence industry ambitions. Russia’s ammunition shortages led Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to visit Pyongyang in July 2023, triggering a surge in North Korean military supplies, primarily artillery shells. Estimates suggest North Korea may have supplied a significant portion, possibly half, of Russia’s additional ammunition requirements beyond its domestic production.

Estimated North Korean Supplies to Russia (by Oct 2024)

Category	Details	Estimated Quantity
Shipping	Containers of weapons/ammunition	~20,000
Main Supplies	Artillery shells, Short range missiles, Anti tank missiles	Significant volumes

This arms trade allows North Korea to bolster its own defence sector, which Kim Jong Un has personally pushed to modernise and expand. Inspections of defence factories have seen Kim demand increased production of various missiles and launchers. While some production, like strategic launchers and warship upgrades, serves North Korea’s own long term military goals, the immediate demands of the war in Ukraine have provided a catalyst and funding stream. This cooperation also helps Pyongyang circumvent international sanctions.

The deepening military technical relationship is a major concern for the international community, particularly the United States and South Korea. Kim Jong Un’s tour of Russian defence facilities, including spaceports and aircraft factories, highlighted Pyongyang’s interest in acquiring Russian expertise in satellites, aviation, naval technology, drones, and potentially even nuclear powered submarines or advanced warship designs, though concrete evidence of transfers in the most sensitive areas remains limited. There are reports suggesting Russian engineers may be assisting North Korea in upgrading aircraft factories, potentially improving its Mig 29 fleet, and Russia is believed to have transferred several aircraft potentially for reverse engineering purposes.

Washington and Seoul, along with allies like Japan and NATO members, are seeking to curtail this dangerous cooperation through enhanced sanctions enforcement, intelligence sharing, and diplomatic pressure. The fear is that advanced Russian technology, particularly related to missile, nuclear, or space programmes, could significantly enhance North Korea’s threat profile in Northeast Asia and beyond. There is particular concern about how this alliance might complicate future diplomatic efforts, including any potential negotiations led by a future US administration, possibly under Donald Trump, aimed at denuclearisation. The source material notes Mr Trump himself described North Korea’s support for Russia as a “very complex factor”. Failure to address the Russia North Korea military link now could mean a future American president faces a militarily stronger and more demanding Pyongyang.

History offers a potential glimpse into the future, suggesting Russia might downgrade its relationship with North Korea once the strategic imperative of the Ukraine war fades. In the early 1990s, following the Cold War, Moscow rapidly pivoted away from Pyongyang, establishing relations with Seoul and cutting aid when its priorities shifted. If Russia reconciles with the West post war, North Korea could find itself isolated once more, potentially increasing internal instability or forcing it to rely more heavily on China. However, some analysts believe the cooperation could persist, driven by Russia’s own post war needs, such as addressing severe labour shortages (estimated at nearly 5 million workers in 2023) with cheap North Korean labour. A continued close alliance could embolden North Korea, potentially using Russian diplomatic backing to make greater demands in any future talks with the United States or even to launch provocations against South Korea, further destabilising the region.