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​InformNapalm: russia Uses North Korean Soldiers as Cannon Fodder While the West is Hesitant to Respond

Illustrative photo source: Korean Central News Agency
Illustrative photo source: Korean Central News Agency
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Further stalling of taking decisive action by the West is playing right into Putin's hands, OSINT analysts say as they present more evidence of DPRK's involvement in the war on Ukraine

International OSINT community InformNapalm has shared another piece of evidence that North Korean military personnel are fighting alongside the russian armed forces in the Kursk Region of russia. The video presents about 20 bodies of Korean People’s Army soldiers laid out in a row, possibly waiting for evacuation.

Analysts echo earlier statements by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine that russia uses North Korean troops as "cannon fodder" throwing them into infantry assaults on Ukrainian Army positions ahead of the russian units.

Read more: What Weapons Are Most Needed by Ukrainian Troops in the Kursk Region to Counter russian and North Korean Forces?

At the same time, despite mounting evidence, official Moscow persists with denying any presence of military personnel from the DPRK among the forces fighting in Kursk. The tactic of outright denial of such presence and forging cover documents has been employed by the Kremlin since the 2014 invasion of Donbas and Crimea.

"It is apparent that for official Moscow and Pyongyang, it is crucial at this stage to deny all existing evidence and facts, creating “cover documents” to confuse and slow down decision-making in the West regarding responses to a third party’s participation in military aggression and war," the researchers note.

Defense Express earlier pointed out the documents found with the two recently secured captives, natives of North Korea taken prisoner-of-war during a special operation by Ukrainian special forces. One of the troops had a military ticket registered to a person born in Tula, russia.

The military ticket — a military registration document — issued by russia to the North Korean soldier saying he is a native of Tuva / Defense Express / InformNapalm: russia Uses North Korean Soldiers as Cannon Fodder While the West is Hesitant
The military ticket — a military registration document — issued by russia to the captive North Korean soldier saying he is a native of Tuva / Photo credit: Volodymyr Zelenskyi

InformNapalm argues that the hybrid tactic of manipulations with evidence has proven successful against Western politicians who "fear making decisions" and take a rather passive reactive approach to introducing sanctions and countermeasures of any form. This allows the dictatorship regimes of Putin and Kim Jong Un to stall and advance their plans.

For russia, that would be battlefield gains facilitated by meat assaults of North Korean troops, whilst for the DPRK, it would be gaining real combat experience in battles against Ukrainians. The participation of its troops in a foreign war is hailed as "sacred training" in North Korea and a marker of covert preparations for a war of their own.

Kim Jong Un oversees a training of his military personnel / Defense Express / InformNapalm: russia Uses North Korean Soldiers as Cannon Fodder While the West is Hesitant
Kim Jong Un oversees training of his military personnel / Illustrative photo source: Korean Central News Agency

To add context, the first reports of North Korean citizens preparing to engage in hostilities date to October 2024; Ukraine's President Volododymyr Zelenskyi publicly accused the Democratic People's Republic of Korea of joining the war. By early November, the North Korean contingent had already suffered its first combat casualties.

Read more: ​Ukrainian Special Forces Take Two N.Korean Soldiers Captive (Video)