What does the future hold for North Korean troops in Ukraine?
Screenshot of a video showing North Koreans in the Kursk region. (Video recorded by Ukraine Special Forces)
The presence of North Korean forces in Ukraine has been marked by mass casualties, apparent low levels of knowledge about modern warfare, deficiencies in training and low access to appropriate equipment.
Dressed in Russian uniforms and operating Kremlin weapons, Pyongyang’s soldiers do not seem to have altered the battlefield situation in favour of Moscow, which raises questions about whether North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un will continue sending soldiers to fight alongside Russians.
International news outlets recently reported that Kim’s warfighters were pulled out of the frontline. It is unclear, however, if warfighters permanently left the battlefield or if they
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Land Warfare
-
Pearson Engineering to supply mine ploughs and dozer blades for Polish Abrams tanks
The contract follows news released in 2023 that a first customer had taken into service Pearson Engineering’s new Slice system enabling the interoperability of Front-End Equipment (FEE) between main battle tanks and dedicated engineering vehicles.
-
Aselsan successfully tests Gökberk system against FPV drones
The system had been previously proven to work against rotary and fixed-wing kamikaze drones, with Aselsan now working on new capabilities for Gökberk to counter UAV swarms.
-
Leopard MBT: Alpha beast gets a reboot (updated 2025)
Leopard MBTs are German-made main battle tanks that have been in service since the Cold War and have undergone several upgrades to remain competitive in modern warfare. This article traces the history and development of the Leopard 1 and 2, its variants, its operational service and its future prospects.