Forbes: Ukrainian drone strikes deal first blow to North Korean vehicles, fighting in Russian army

Ukrainian drone operators targeted a North Korean anti-tank missile vehicle for the first time, marking a critical moment in the war’s evolving dynamics, Forbes reported 5 December.

The Vitrolom drone group, part of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, tracked and destroyed a Bulsae-4 six-wheeled vehicle in Kharkiv Oblast, with a second drone witnessing the strike that apparently detonated some of the vehicle’s eight anti-tank missiles.

North Korean military equipment has become increasingly crucial to Russia’s war effort. North Korea supplies Russia with artillery rounds, missiles, and thousands of troops to aid Russia in the war against Ukraine. Russia has assembled 50,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, including North Korean soldiers in Russian uniforms, for an imminent offensive

The North Koreans have deployed multiple weapon systems to the front lines, including an unspecified number of Bulsae-4 vehicles, dozens of M1989 howitzers, and M1991 rocket launchers, alongside thousands of infantry troops.

The Institute for the Study of War reports that Russian forces are experiencing significant casualties, losing between 1,200 and 2,000 troops and up to a hundred vehicles daily. The cumulative losses over 33 months potentially exceed 730,000 killed and wounded personnel and 15,000 pieces of heavy equipment.

“Russian forces will eventually make operationally significant gains if Ukrainian forces do not stop ongoing Russian offensive operations,” the Institute for the Study of War reported, emphasizing that the Russian military cannot sustain current loss rates indefinitely.

The recent Russian offensives in the Donetsk Oblast and the Kursk Oblast salient have resulted in steady but limited territorial gains.

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