Russian despair: 50,000 fanatics are coming, choosing self-destruction

North Korean soldiers appeared on the Russian front as an elite force that launched assaults in large groups, and, as the BBC reports, they most often chose suicide rather than surrender.

Thousands of them have been killed so far, after which they seemingly disappeared from the front lines. Now Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns that they are returning, and in far greater numbers.

The BBC reports that Pyongyang sent its troops in late 2024 to fight alongside Russian forces against the Ukrainian offensive on Russian territory, in the Kursk region. It was the largest combat force North Korea had ever deployed abroad.

Of the approximately 13,000 troops deployed, estimates suggest that 2,300 to 3,000 were killed, with thousands more wounded. Yet despite the heavy cost, Kim Jong Un's decision has paid off: the soldiers gained experience in modern warfare, while the regime secured significant economic and geopolitical gains.

According to Ukraine's military intelligence service, the GUR, around 8,500 North Korean soldiers are still on Russian territory. They are organized into four brigades within Russia's “North” Group of Forces and are guarding the state border in the Kursk region against possible new Ukrainian incursions.

They are not taking part in active combat in the occupied parts of Ukraine. Dr. Jang Uk of the Asan Institute in Seoul says the troops are still in Russia.

“They are defending Russian territory against a possible new Ukrainian counteroffensive. Some engineering units or workers may be in Donbas, but these are not combat units,” he says.

The first clashes with Ukrainian forces took place in November 2024. Russia and North Korea denied their presence for a long time. It was not until April 2025 that Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov praised their bravery.

At a commemoration ceremony in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un called them heroes who had “without hesitation chosen self-destruction” in defense of their honor.

Ukrainian soldiers describe them as brave but poorly equipped. They lacked body armor, winter uniforms and helmets, while communication with Russian forces was poor.

In one video, a wounded North Korean soldier detonates a grenade under his chin and utters Kim Jong Un’s name before dying. Only two soldiers have been captured alive, but surrender is not considered an option for them, as captivity is regarded as a crime under their military doctrine.

Lim Soo-ho of Seoul’s Institute for National Security Strategy estimates that arms exports to Russia and the deployment of troops have brought North Korea nearly $10 billion.

The country’s annual GDP is around $30 billion, meaning this amounts to roughly a third of its annual economic output over two and a half years. In return, North Korea receives food, oil and hard currency.

The “cooperation” with Russia has also reduced Pyongyang’s dependence on Beijing. Lim describes this as a “major geopolitical shift.”

Kim now speaks of a new Cold War and a multipolar world, rather than turning to the West during times of crisis. Soldiers from the elite “Storm Corps” have learned what modern warfare involving drones looks like. Jang Uk says they paid a high price at first, but adapted.

Last month, Zelenskyy warned that Russia could receive up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers, up from an earlier estimate of 30,000.

He claimed that preparations to receive the new forces have been underway in the Voronezh region since June, and that Pyongyang is preparing additional ballistic weapons.

He called on South Korea to provide Ukraine with air-defense systems, stressing that Russian assistance to North Korea in learning modern warfare poses a threat to the whole of Asia.

Russia is facing a serious manpower shortage. Western and Ukrainian intelligence agencies estimate that it is losing around 6,000 more troops each month than it is able to recruit. That is why it is turning to foreign fighters from Colombia, Kenya, Cameroon and North Korea.

The relationship is mutually beneficial, but it comes at a price. North Korea will continue sending troops as long as it sees a benefit in doing so. If they begin fighting on Ukrainian soil, the diplomatic impact—particularly in relation to South Korea—would be significantly greater.