Horrific Footage Shows North Korean Troops Being Picked Off by Drones on Ukrainian Frontlines

Russian forces have ramped up their deployment of North Korean troops to frontline ground combat, resulting in a sharp increase in North Korean military casualties. Recent footage and images reveal inexperienced North Korean soldiers facing unfamiliar weapons, such as killer drones and cluster munitions, often with fatal or severe consequences.

According to the Ukrainian government and military reports on Tuesday, Russian forces have concentrated North Korean units at the frontlines in Kursk Oblast for three consecutive days. Ukrainian Special Operations Forces claim to have killed fifty North Korean soldiers and wounded forty-seven others from Saturday to Monday. Including engagements with other Ukrainian units, total North Korean casualties likely exceed 200.

The current estimate of North Korean troops deployed to Russia is approximately 12,000. U.S. military officials told Reuters and AFP that North Korean forces suffered hundreds of casualties while battling Ukrainian troops in western Kursk. When asked about the ranks of the North Korean casualties, an anonymous official stated they ranged from low-ranking personnel to those near the highest echelons.

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces released footage showing attacks on North Korean soldiers and their vehicles, including armored personnel carriers and all-terrain vehicles, using first-person view (FPV) drones. One clip shows soldiers attempting to evade drones by fleeing between trees, only to be picked off one by one, their faces frozen in terror as they stare helplessly at the approaching drones.

Other footage reportedly shows North Korean soldiers being killed or wounded en masse by cluster munitions detonating on the battlefield. These weapons, containing dozens to hundreds of submunitions, blanket an area like “steel rain” and are known for their devastating lethality.

A non-commissioned officer from Ukraine’s 8th Separate Special Operations Regiment described to Radio Free Asia how about 200 soldiers were approaching their base, moving forward like zombies while drones bombed the area. They kept advancing despite firing at the FPV drones, making them easy targets and appearing unbelievably reckless. The officer noted that they indeed resembled zombies.