Ukrainian officers have revealed that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia to participate in the Russo-Ukrainian War are using a “meat grinder” strategy, employing their bodies to detect landmines. Those who are killed by the explosions are immediately taken away by medics, while the rest continue to advance.
According to a report by The Times of London, Russian and North Korean coalition forces recently engaged with Ukrainian troops in the Makhnovka area of Kursk, Russia.
In a report detailing close-range combat between Ukrainian and North Korean forces, Colonel “Leopard,” commander of the 33rd Separate Assault Battalion of the Ukrainian army, described the situation they faced.
“Leopard” told The Times that while Ukrainian forces use mine-clearing vehicles in minefields, North Korean forces employ the “meat grinder” strategy, using soldiers’ bodies to detect mines.
He said, “They line up three to four meters apart, and if someone gets blown up, the medics go to the back to collect the bodies while others continue to move forward. That’s how they navigate through minefields.”
An earlier Russian attempt to retake Makhnovka ended in failure. Ukrainian President Zelensky stated on January 4th that an entire company of North Korean and Russian soldiers had been killed within two days.
He cited a report from Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, saying, “In the battles of today and yesterday, in the village of Makhnovka in the Kursk region, the Russians lost an infantry company, including North Korean soldiers and Russian paratroopers.”
However, North Korean soldiers successfully entered Makhnovka on January 7th. By the morning of January 8th, they had already fortified their positions. The 33rd Separate Assault Battalion and the 61st Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian army were tasked with retaking the village as a result.
“Leopard” mentioned that Russian and North Korean soldiers are integrated into the same units, attempting to conceal the identity of North Korean soldiers, but the North Koreans do not use drones, putting them at a disadvantage in this aspect.
He stated, “North Koreans only use small arms, machine guns, and grenade launchers, at most mortars, within their technical capabilities. They have not used drones; only the Russians are using them. But I suspect they are starting to learn. The longer the war persists, the more likely they are to innovate.”
He also mentioned that the 33rd Separate Assault Battalion once captured a Russian guide leading North Korean soldiers, but the North Korean soldiers refused to be taken alive, preferring to die in combat or attempt to flee. The North Korean commanders appear indifferent to the casualties among their personnel.