All the major decisions after the Russian invasion of Ukraine seem to be in a kind of “stand by” while the world turns towards the United States. No one knows for sure how it will affect the war in Europe the arrival of Donald Trump to the presidencybut while the daisy is unraveling and both sides wait for the tycoon to turn towards their interests, the Ukrainian navy has revealed an unprecedented episode of the conflict: What was the meeting with the first captured North Korean like?.
A “strange” encounter. This was explained by the Ukrainian paratroopers in the Kursk region, who Through a video they reported the capture of the first North Korean soldierthe same one who, in his apparent desire to avoid being captured, is said to have deliberately ran towards a concrete pillar with the intention of becoming unconscious.
According to members of the 95th Separate Polissia Air Assault Brigade, the events occurred after an assault in which A Ukrainian drone detected an isolated North Korean soldier on the battlefield. The meeting, as we said, was recounted in a video published on the brigade’s official accounts on YouTubeFacebook and Telegram.
Grenade, knife and sausage. The Ukrainians apparently managed to surround the North Korean soldier with the help of drone operators. At this point they have pointed out that did not respond to commands in Ukrainian, Russian or English. Finally, they resorted to gestures to communicate with him.
At the time of his capture, the prisoner was carrying a grenade, a knife and a sausagein addition to having visible injuries, including a bandaged jaw and an apparently injured hand. Initially, the North Korean soldier seemed calm, but they note that he showed signs of agitation when he saw an evacuation vehicle approaching, a situation after which that strange event occurred: The soldier ran straight and hit that concrete pillar, apparently falling unconscious.
A trick. However, one of the paratroopers suggested that the act may have been a hoax, since the soldier fell backwards instead of forwards, which could have been an attempt to bring Ukrainian troops closer to attack them suddenly. Be that as it may, the soldier was finally secured and transported away from the front line, where he received food and, according to the paratroopers, requested a surreal request: to watch “romantic movies.”
North Korean tactics and behaviors. Ukrainian soldiers also noted that North Koreans who have encountered They adopt tactics similar to those of the Soviet eraexecuting frontal assaults in large numbers to attempt to overwhelm enemy forces.
In this regard, it is recalled that, while Russian forces usually operate in teams of two or three, the North Koreans advance in groups of at least six combatants. Furthermore, they have observed that Pyongyang soldiers prefer to fight to the death rather than surrenderwith multiple reports of wounded prisoners immolating themselves to avoid capture.
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Equipment and found objects. A few days ago, the Washington Post launched an exclusive where they collected all the objects found by the Ukrainian forces of the North Korean troops in the conflict. Among the documents and objects obtained from the battlefield lists of phrases in Korean and Russian were included (possibly designed to urge Ukrainian troops to surrender), letters from leader Kim Jong-un or advanced military equipment, utensils that provided unique insight into the readiness and level of commitment of these troops.
In addition, Ukrainian soldiers have collected military IDs, bulletproof vests, first aid kits, Ukrainian-made knives and modern Russian assault rifles, suggesting that Moscow has sought to equip the North Koreans in ways superior to its own forces.
Propaganda and ideology. Among the objects recovered from fallen soldiers Several New Year’s letters attributed to Kim Jong-un have been recoveredletters that encouraged the troops and highlighted their sacrifice. These messages, along with notebooks with lyrics from North Korean patriotic songs, reveal the strong ideological component of Pyongyang’s forces, in contrast to the Russian soldiers, who They are usually motivated primarily by economic incentives. In this regard, the Post reported that Ukrainians believe that this difference in motivation could explain the tenacity of the North Koreans on the battlefield.
Be that as it may, these details highlight a new phase of the war. And, as the war continues, the presence of foreign fighters on the front lines could further prolong the conflict and further complicate international relations. And if that were not enough, that elephant in the room that promises dynamite it all in the person of Donald Trump.
It remains to be seen how he will do it.
Image | @ZelenskyyUa/X
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was originally published in
Xataka
by
Miguel Jorge
.