'They do not surrender': Ukraine commander reflects on first encounter with North Korean troops in Kursk

Maj. Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Regiment, has recounted his first encounter with North Korean troops at the contact line near Kruglenkoe, a village close to the Ukrainian border in Kursk.

The region has emerged as a significant battleground in the ongoing conflict, underscoring both Ukraine’s resolve and the harsh realities of war.

Since Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in August, both sides have claimed significant losses, with North Korean forces deployed to assist Russian troops in their efforts against Kyiv’s advancing military.

“They tried to do an assault with a company group,” ABC News quoted Shyriaiev as saying over a video call from his unit’s operations room close to the front.

“We were prepared. We withdrew a bit and we created a minefield,” he recalled.

“And after the North Koreans hit those mines, my guys just finished them off with guns,” he added.

In the following months, Pyongyang’s troops emerged as the “elite” assault force in Russia’s campaign to dislodge Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk, according to Shyriaiev. These fighters were dedicated to a mission far from home, facing brutal battlefield conditions.

According to ABC News, for nearly eight months, the Kremlin prioritised removing Ukrainian forces from Kursk, but Russian troops encountered significant challenges, suffering heavy losses with minimal gains.

To bolster their efforts, Russia sought assistance from North Korea, added the report.

“They do not surrender,” ABC News quoted Shyriaiev as saying of Pyongyang’s troops.

“I don’t remember any cases where we have been able to take them captive. We have taken some who were already wounded, but I think they died from their wounds,” he added.

Now, with Ukraine holding onto a sliver of land in Kursk and peace efforts grinding along, Shyriaiev echoed Kyiv’s assertion that the operation was a success, though it ended in Ukrainian retreat.

“They have lost a lot of personnel, both recoverable and irrecoverable losses,” he said of Russian and North Korean forces.

“They have lost a lot of equipment, a lot of their infrastructure has been damaged, which means that they would need to rebuild it. This also comes at a cost. And this also weakens Russia,” he added.

Moscow’s success in driving Ukrainian forces from nearly all of Kursk signaled its resolve. During a March visit to the front, President Vladimir Putin said, “Your task is to completely destroy the enemy,” emphasising the need to restore the previous border status.

North Korea’s involvement came at a critical time, with President Donald Trump soon to take office, promising a swift end to the conflict. Trump had hinted that a peace deal might require Ukrainian concessions, framing Kyiv as a barrier to resolution.

He claimed that “thousands of Ukrainian troops” were “completely surrounded” in Kursk, a characterisation Ukrainian leaders dismissed as false.

Maj. Shyriaiev crossed into Russia during a surprise offensive in August 2024. He later reflected on the operation, saying, “I am proud that we were the first to actually bring the fight to Russian soil,” as his regiment captured nearly 500 square miles of territory.

North Korean troops, approximately 10,000 strong, were deployed to assist Russia, marking a significant escalation in the conflict. Initially, these soldiers engaged in poorly supported assaults, suffering heavy casualties due to their limited training.

As one of the first Ukrainian units to push into Kursk, the 225th was also among the first to come up against North Korean soldiers. The experience gave Shyriaiev and his troops a rare level of insight into Pyongyang’s forces, he said.

Initially, North Korean soldiers were thrown into so-called “meat assaults,” Shyriaiev said, a term Ukrainian troops use to describe the poorly-supported and costly infantry wave attacks employed by Russian commanders throughout the war.

The North Koreans were guided only by limited training inside Russia and their nation’s experience of World War II- and Korean War-era combat. “This experience didn’t include the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, it didn’t include any kinds of modern tactics,” he said.

That lack of experience was reflected in heavy casualties, though exact estimates vary. British intelligence assessed that by March roughly 5,000 of the 11,000 North Korean troops deployed to fight Ukraine had been killed or wounded, with a third likely killed.

Zelenskyy and Kyrylo Budanov – the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence – both said in February that North Korean troops had suffered about 4,000 casualties.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said in March that North Korean forces had suffered around 5,000 casualties, according to the Yonhap news agency, South Korea’s state media.

As the conflict progressed, Shyriaiev noted that North Korean forces adapted their tactics, conducting operations in smaller groups to reduce losses. He described them as well-prepared fighters, saying, “They are good marksmen… They do not leave their wounded behind.”

Despite the eventual Russian success in Kursk, Shyriaiev emphasised the need for Ukrainian forces to adapt, saying, “It is perfectly possible to fight them if you are prepared.”

Reflecting on the war, Shyriaiev expressed no pity for the North Koreans.

“I do not feel pity towards anyone who is waging war against my country,” ABC News quoted him as saying.

“You need to create obstacles for them. You need to create a minefield, and our guys need to be confident enough to go in and finish them after they have stepped on mines or have been hit by any type of artillery rounds which are supplied to us by our American partners,” he added.

South Korean intelligence indicated last year that families of North Korean troops sent to Russia had been isolated.  A former North Korean soldier told ABC News he believes that few of Pyongyang’s forces had been captured while fighting against Ukraine because they are told their families will be executed if they are caught alive.

“If the soldiers are captured and tell information to the enemy, their families will be punished, go to a political prison camp, or worse, they will be executed in front of the people,” said defector Pak Yusung.

Maj. Oleh Shyriaiev dismissed claims that North Korean soldiers were misled. “I do not feel pity towards anyone who is waging war against my country,” he said. “North Koreans are enemies for me and they are the enemies of my country.”

He added, “It’s impossible that they just don’t know where they ended up. I do not respect this adversary. This is not some kind of a tournament or ceremonial fight between knights. This is a war, a painful burden for our land, for our families.”

Maj. Oleh Shyriaiev believes the war will continue despite US-led peace efforts.

“All of us are, of course, yearning for peace,” ABC News quoted him as saying. “But when people begin to talk about loss of territories, this is a very painful, very sensitive issue,” he added.

He advised Ukrainians to view a ceasefire as a chance to “prepare for the continuation of a fight,” emphasising the need to remain vigilant. “We know that Russia is a country that never, never keeps its promises.”

Moscow has framed its invasion as a pre-emptive measure against perceived threats. Putin described the “special military operation” as necessary for defence.

While Trump’s administration urges Ukraine to cede land, Shyriaiev insists that the existential threat from Russia necessitates reclaiming all territory within Ukraine’s 1991 borders, including Crimea and Donbas.

“We need to never forget this experience,” he said. “We need to know that at any moment, Russia can attack again. And we need to be prepared.”

With inputs from agencies