North Korean soldier shouted ‘Kim Jong-un’ before blowing himself up on battlefield

An elite Ukrainian worker has revealed however North Korean troops are blowing themselves up with grenades to debar being captured alive. 

One shouted ‘General Kim Jong-un’ earlier taking his ain beingness arsenic Kyiv’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) closed in, according to the commander.  

Puls, who spoke nether a codename, and his comrades successful the 1st Combat Divers Battalion person been warring troops from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) aft the ‘brainwashed’ soldiers were flown much than 4,000 miles to enactment up Vladimir Putin’s forces successful Kursk.  

He said the reinforcements person been using cannon-fodder tactics ‘from the past books’ but besides described them arsenic disciplined and motivated.  

Kim Jong-un’s troops person been killed ‘within the archetypal fewer minutes’ arsenic they beforehand successful ‘large waves’ connected Ukrainian positions, according to Puls.  

Video taken by the operators shows them taking DNA swabs and idiosyncratic artefacts, including ID documents, from the bodies of DPRK soldiers.  

However Puls, whose battalion is portion of the 73rd Naval Centre of Operations, which is akin to the British Royal Marines oregon US Navy Seals, acknowledged the North Koreans’ self-discipline and resilience.  

‘The archetypal happening that instantly stands retired is their subject and endurance,’ helium said. ‘North Korean troops are highly disciplined and powerfully motivated and they are each young — oregon astatine slightest they look that way.

‘They look to beryllium betwixt 25 and 40 years old.

‘All of them are clean-shaven. Not a azygous 1 has a beard oregon adjacent stubble.

‘Their haircuts are astir identical and they are precise well-groomed overall.

‘I recognize that successful specified a closed-off country, they person been thoroughly brainwashed. This affects their behaviour. They garbage to surrender and alternatively take to stroke themselves up with a grenade.’ 

Kim has sent betwixt 11,000 and 12,000 of his troops to Kursk, wherever Ukrainian forces person been successful power of a salient since launching an audacious incursion into Russia 5 months ago.

‘Death implicit surrender’

Roughly fractional of the fig person been killed oregon wounded, according to Ukraine’s Command-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

At present, the North Koreans are absent from the battlefield successful the areas wherever the SOF are fighting, which whitethorn bespeak they are rotating forces owed to the precocious casualties they person suffered.  

Evidence has emerged of attempts to conceal the individuality of the DPKR troops, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that Russians person tried to pain the faces of their allies killed successful battle.  

The wartime leader’s equipped forces person besides said that fake documents person been issued to the reinforcements.

While Mr Zelenskyy did not accidental wherefore the actions are being taken, reasons mightiness see Russian wanting to fell its reliance connected a overseas authorities and North Korea trying to debar violations of UN Security Council sanctions.  

Puls is nary uncertainty arsenic to the individuality of their foes. 

‘One of their soldiers, arsenic an SOF squad approached him, initially laic inactive successful silence,’ helium said.

‘Then, suddenly, helium shouted “General Kim Jong-Un” and blew himself up with a grenade.’ 

‘They are adapting’

The reinforcements person besides shown unsighted loyalty successful advancing connected ft implicit exposed crushed successful ‘meat wave’ attacks and are said to person travel up with tactics utilizing soldiers arsenic ‘live bait’ to lure successful Ukrainian drones which tin past beryllium changeable down from cover.

But astatine slightest immoderate of the North Korean troops sent to combat successful Kursk are thought to beryllium elite soldiers.

‘North Korean troops are physically resilient,’ Puls said.  

‘We person observed them transportation dense loads implicit agelong distances.

‘They are highly motivated to combat and well-coordinated. They determination successful pairs, a maneuver emblematic for the peculiar forces. 

‘Nonetheless, their combat losses are apt higher than those of Russian troops. They are unprepared for modern warfare.

‘DPRK troops’ top weakness is that they person ne'er faced first-person presumption drones, an indispensable portion of combat. 

‘But implicit time, they are adapting.

‘A period and a fractional ago, they looked astatine FPV drones with curiosity.

‘Now, they effort to fell due to the fact that they person seen what those tin do.

‘They adjacent person instructions connected however to respond to drone attacks but they are outdated and bash not assistance them.’ 

Russia has utilized North Korean forces for holding positions and assaults, resulting successful precocious casualties, according to Puls.

‘Artillery with our drone strikes importantly increases their casualties,’ helium said. ‘It is highly high.

‘When North Koreans motorboat assaults connected Ukrainian positions, astir of them are killed successful enactment wrong the archetypal fewer minutes.

‘They effort to beforehand successful ample waves connected foot, which makes them casual targets for SOF operators.

‘Their tactics are reminiscent of those successful past books oregon World War II.

‘These losses person already led to North Korean units being withdrawn from 1 of the axes successful the Kursk region.

‘We nary longer spot them connected the battlefield. They are learning from acquisition and apt waiting for reinforcements.’ 

‘Live bait tactics’

Communication difficulties betwixt North Korean and Russian forces are besides thought to beryllium down the precocious casualty rate.

‘Radio intercepts corroborate the blue-on-green attacks erstwhile North Koreans prosecute successful combat alongside the Russians,’ Puls said.

‘North Koreans besides person nary effectual countermeasures against our FPV drones oregon artillery, accurately targeting their positions and unit concentrations.

‘They usage 1 of the soldiers arsenic bait to antagonistic drones, portion 2 others are trying to sprout down the drones, sometimes precise precisely.  

‘When DPRK forces motorboat assaults connected Ukrainian positions, the immense bulk of them are killed astatine the precise commencement of the attack, preventing Russian forces from capitalizing connected immoderate gains.’ 

Puls besides spoke to Sky News from a concealed basal successful north-eastern Ukraine, telling the broadcaster helium expects the North Koreans to ‘be backmost soon.’

His comments align with those of Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s subject quality chief, who said Pyongyang is apt to nonstop reinforcements to Russia successful the signifier of artillery units.

As the warfare grinds connected towards imaginable bid talks, Puls had an ominous informing astir the authorities soldiers being deployed successful a warfare with ramifications for NATO and its spouse South Korea.

‘Overall, North Korean troops are gaining combat acquisition successful Russia’s war,’ the commandant said. ‘It’s an acquisition Kim’s authorities could aboriginal usage successful aboriginal conflicts they mightiness prosecute in.’

The UK Ministry of Defence said connected January 24 that DPRK forces had ‘likely sustained’ 4,000 casualties, with astir a 4th killed successful action.  

The quality update stated: ‘The precocious complaint of DPRK losses successful a abbreviated clip play has astir surely importantly deteriorated DPRK forces’ capableness to behaviour violative combat operations successful enactment of Russia’s attempts to propulsion Ukrainian forces retired of Kursk.’ 

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