Ukraine's Special Forces say they killed 21 North Korean soldiers, show combat footage

Warning: Footage includes violent and graphic content.

Soldiers of the 8th Regiment of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces resisted a North Korean assault in Russia’s Kursk Oblast for eight hours before retreating, killing 21 and wounding 40 soldiers, the unit said on Jan. 22.

The statement comes as Russia ramps up efforts to push out Ukrainian troops entrenched in the western Russian region, deploying its North Korean allies in ground assaults.

In a video shared by the Special Operations Forces, a large assault group of purportedly North Korean soldiers is seen crossing an open field and forest, followed by close combat footage with only dozens of meters between the two sides. In the end, graphic footage shows killed soldiers claimed to be North Koreans.

"At the ninth hour of the battle, the Special Operations Forces had only a third of their ammunition left. They spent the rest on destroying (North Korean forces)," the Telegram post read.

The Ukrainian fighters held off the assault with small arms, grenade launchers, and snipers. Eventually, the Ukrainian troops retreated in two Humvees, the post read.

North Korea deployed around 12,000 soldiers in Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion in August 2024 to bring the war to Russian territory. They have suffered 4,000 casualties, both wounded and killed, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed earlier in January 2025.

In exchange for the troop transfer, Russia is paying over $2,000 for each North Korean soldier, though officials said it is unclear how much is allocated to individual soldiers and the Pyongyang government.

‘They’ve overcome the shock’ — North Korean soldiers adapting to war in Russia’s Kursk Oblast

Since December, North Korean troops have been taking part in active combat on Russia’s side in the country’s Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine has held territory since August. This unprecedented move, made against the backdrop of a deepening Moscow-Pyongyang alliance, provided some insight into how North…

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Source link

Related posts:

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes 3 Russian air defense systems in single day; 3,800 North Korean troops killed, injured in Kursk Oblast Ukraine war latest: Over 3,000 North Korean troops killed, wounded in Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says Ukraine war latest: North Korean troops joining Russian assaults in Kursk, Zelensky says Ukraine war latest: Ukraine hits ballistic missile propellant plant in Rostov Oblast; North Korean troops endure heavy losses Ukraine war latest: First North Korean troops arrive in Kursk Oblast to participate in Russia's war against Ukraine Ukraine war latest: North Korean soldiers reportedly 50 km from Ukraine's border Ukraine war latest: Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast, mixed reports surface on outcome Russia preparing a 50,000-people-strong offensive in latest attempt to push Ukrainian army out of Kursk Oblast