Kim Jong Un's ZOMBIE army: Even Ukrainians admit they're crack shots who show no fear. But as North Korean troops sacrifice themselves as bait for drones, march into minefields and scream their leader's name, no wonder thousands are already dead or maimed

There is simply a grim gag doing the rounds connected the Ukrainian beforehand lines. 'Koreans similar to devour dogs. Now the dogs are eating the Koreans.'

Battlefield canine scavengers person reportedly added the bloodied corpses of Kim Jong Un's North Korean footsoldiers to their regular fare of dormant Russians.

True oregon not, it is simply a reflection of the disastrous show of Kim's 11,000 oregon truthful supposedly elite forces since they arrived to bolster Russian forces successful the Kursk country past October.

Up to now, they person suffered astir 4,000 casualties, including 1,000 fatalities. Inadequately trained and led by Russian officers whose connection they don't recognize and who attraction adjacent little for their allies' lives than they bash for those of their ain men, they person been casual prey for the Ukrainians' guns and drones.

Reports this week that immoderate units are being temporarily withdrawn from 1 assemblage of the Kursk beforehand for 'retraining' should travel arsenic nary surprise.

For their suicidal ineptitude and evident willingness to dice has shocked adjacent Ukrainian soldiers, good utilized to the meat-grinder tactics employed by the Russians who deliberation thing of hurling question aft question of men into futile attacks, assured that successful the end, sheer value of numbers volition prevail.

This latest constituent successful this saga of slaughter is different reminder of what is astatine involvement successful a conflict, the standard and savagery of which nary 1 could person predicted adjacent 5 years ago.

On the 1 manus is simply a Russia whose leaders disdain notions of advancement and who person fought with an appalling disregard for beingness that would person gladdened Joseph Stalin's achromatic heart.

On the different is simply a arrogant caller federation – for definite not without its faults and problems – but warring doggedly connected against the likelihood to unafraid a aboriginal based connected values of state and decency.

Even aft astir 3 years of war, the communicative of the North Koreans inactive has the powerfulness to shock. The deployment of astir 11,000 men, allegedly the pick of the Democratic People's Republic Of Korea [DPRK] service was a contiguous from Kim to Putin to cement the lukewarm caller narration betwixt the 2 pariah states.

However the Kremlin was astatine pains to support their accomplishment secret, astir apt fearing it would beryllium seen arsenic a motion to the satellite that they were moving retired of cannon

fodder. The DPRK troops were issued with fake Russian subject IDs showing they came from republics successful the acold eastbound of the country, which would explicate their taste appearance.

The newcomers were expected to assistance Moscow thrust Ukrainian forces retired of the territory they captured wrong Russia's Kursk portion successful a astonishment cross-border violative six months ago.

But they soon came up against the terrifying lethality of 21st period warfare à la Ukraine and successful peculiar the situation posed by possibly the biggest menace connected the battlefield – the ubiquitous drones successful each their deadly forms.

A chilling video taken from a surveillance drone issued by the Ukrainian subject shows the stark reality.

It was recorded not successful Kursk but connected the Ukrainian borderline northbound eastbound of Kharkiv wherever immoderate North Koreans were seemingly sent to reenforce Russian units suffering manpower shortages.

A dazed and helpless young Korean worker crouches successful a ditch. He looks up fearfully arsenic helium registers the beingness of a grenade-carrying First-Person-View [FPV] drone.

He tries to cock his firearm past gives up and flattens himself connected the ground. Next helium is obliterated successful a unreality of fume and flame.

The unfortunate was 1 of a ten-man squad, led by a Russian and accompanied by a translator. 'After the fight, which lasted astir 2 hours, we saw 4 bodies lying look down connected the ground,' said a Ukrainian serviceman who uses the telephone motion 'Kruzak'. The attackers withdrew, leaving their wounded down – communal signifier successful the Russian mode of warfare – including the worker successful the video.

'He was deed with shrapnel and they near him,' said Kruzak. 'I deliberation helium was astir 18 oregon 20 years old. Our drone flew over, to support an oculus connected him. We didn't spot immoderate vigor instrumentality connected him, helium astir apt mislaid it… helium gave retired a cry, astir apt 'help me', but cipher was around. It looks similar helium was trying to reload his rifle, but it was jammed. Maybe helium wanted to termination himself, oregon possibly helium wanted to effort to deed the drone flying adjacent him.

'I saw a batch of situations earlier erstwhile Russians made the aforesaid determination – termination is simply a fashionable prime connected the beforehand erstwhile idiosyncratic connected their broadside has a superior injury. Some garbage to springiness up, but astir of them conscionable effort to dice arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. Then, 1 of our FPV drones made the past changeable and killed him.' This gruesome occurrence is accordant with galore different reports suggesting the North Koreans were ill-prepared for the hellhole they were stepping into. North Korea has an estimated 1.2 cardinal citizens successful azygous and nationalist work is mandatory from the property of 17. But its troops person not been successful conflict since the Korean War which ended successful 1953 and tactics are hopelessly retired of date.

The subject has intelligibly taken small relationship of the advent of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles [UAVs], the large caller game-changer successful modern warfare. Their mode of dealing with them was revealed successful handwritten instructions recovered by Ukrainian quality connected a dormant Korean and shared with Western media. They were labelled 'how to destruct drones' and suggested utilizing 1 of their ain soldiers arsenic bait.

'When a drone is spotted… astatine a region of astir 10-12 metres, 1 retired of 3 radical should unconditionally lure it, and the different 2 should instrumentality purpose and shoot,' it read.

It besides projected that troops should question screen successful ammunition holes 'since shells volition not autumn again successful the aforesaid crater' – seemingly oblivious to the information that UAVs tin spot immoderate quality oregon conveyance that is not nether cover.

Orders recovered connected different corpses marque it wide that troops were expected to dice alternatively than surrender. In 1 video successful circulation, a Ukrainian worker approaches a wounded North Korean look down connected the ground, and tugs his limb to cheque if helium is alive. The wounded antheral screams thing successful Korean, past explodes a manus grenade nether his chin.

After analysing the video, South Korean quality reported that the soldier's past words were 'General Kim Jong Un!'

Papers recovered connected the dormant suggest that Pyongyang's wide brainwashing techniques person done a thorough job. One papers reads: 'The hammer of decease to the chartless and the puppet trash is not acold off. We wield the almighty unit that makes them tremble successful fear.'

There are galore declarations of loyalty to the Supreme Leader with 1 worker penning that helium would 'carry retired the ultimate commander's orders without hesitation'. Another vows: 'I volition show unparalleled bravery to its fullest. World, ticker closely.' Genuine sentiments oregon an security argumentation to support families backmost home? We volition ne'er know.

But determination is nary doubting their warring tone and disregard of danger. So acold lone 3 North Koreans person been captured. All were wounded and 1 has subsequently died.

There person been accounts of infantrymen plodding nervelessly done Ukrainian minefields. In the judgement of Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, caput of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Directorate, 'they are similar biologic robots'. Ukrainian soldiers person besides reported cases of North Koreans removing their helmets and the dense ceramic thorax plates from their assemblage armour successful bid to trim value and let them to tally astatine force positions.

Some Ukrainians person expressed grudging admiration for the Koreans' fanatical subject and warned that they should not beryllium underestimated.

'They are highly resilient, highly well-trained, and morally stable,' said Yuriy Bondar of the Galician Lions brigade, 1 of the archetypal units to prosecute with them successful the Kursk region, penning connected Facebook. One happening they person learned successful grooming is however to shoot. 'Their level of tiny arms proficiency is highly high,' helium said. 'The fig of drones that the force managed to sprout down conscionable utilizing tiny arms is earnestly surprising.'

But according to 'Kruzak', they 'don't look similar heroes. They look similar a radical of brainsick guys who don't person immoderate acquisition connected however to run successful warfare oregon however to determination connected the beforehand line'.

The show of the zombie-like arrivals from Kim's Hermit Kingdom marching to their deaths has astatine times moved him to thing similar pity.

'I consciousness bittersweet astir these people,' helium said. 'Their beingness has been filled with propaganda. They unrecorded their beingness successful jail. All accusation astir the remainder of the satellite is blocked connected their net and societal media.'

Unconfirmed reports suggest North Korean troops person availed themselves of the unfettered entree to the net offered successful Ukraine, and turned eagerly to pornography websites.

Whatever the case, they are hardly successful an enviable position.

'They don't truly cognize the situation, oregon thing astir what's happening successful Ukraine, said 'Kruzak'. 'In immoderate case, they don't person immoderate existent choice. If Kim Jong Un sends them to articulation the Russian army, past they don't person overmuch accidental successful the matter. But successful the end, we person to termination them. They person travel present to effort and termination us. They're not connected a affable visit.'

Putin has tried to contiguous Russia's lukewarm narration with North Korea, celebrated successful his lavish authorities sojourn to Pyongyang past summer, arsenic portion of an ambitious task to forge a caller planetary axis involving North Korea, Iran and China that volition make a caller satellite bid and weaken the West.

But his love-in with Kim looks much similar a motion of weakness and desperation. Moscow relies connected the millions of artillery shells it receives from North Korea to support the tempo of its violative successful eastbound Ukraine. Pyongyang has besides sent dozens of KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles arsenic good arsenic dense guns, and much are connected their mode on with enactment units.

In return, the DPRK receives hard currency and amerciable lipid shipments which the authorities desperately needs to enactment afloat.

It is simply a grubby statement of necessity that signals Putin is moving retired of options arsenic helium carries his state into a 4th twelvemonth of pointless conflict.

For Kim Jong Un the woody has galore attractions. His acquisition of troops gives an accidental for them to acquisition 21st period conflict – nary substance what the outgo whitethorn beryllium successful lives. And the currency and vigor travel from Moscow provides beingness enactment that volition marque him little susceptible to unit from the United States to unit him to wantonness his cherished atomic weapons programme.

South Korean quality sources claimed precocious that Pyongyang was readying to nonstop adjacent much troops to Russia and reports from the US accidental that they could beryllium connected the battlefield wrong arsenic small arsenic 2 months.

It seems that determination volition beryllium plentifulness of pickings for the dogs of No Man's Land earlier wintertime is out.

Additional reporting: Boldizsar Gyori.

-Patrick Bishop presents the play Battleground Ukraine podcast with Saul David.