"A Solid Line of Soldiers": How the North Korean Army Surprised the Ukrainian Armed Forces Near Kursk
In late 2024, Ukrainian troops invading the Kursk region clashed with units of the North Korean People's Army (DPRK) for the first time in the war with Russia—an enemy with a completely different tactical school than the existing Russian army. Colonel Artem Kholodkevich, the current chief of staff of the 42nd Separate Marine Brigade (then chief of staff of the 61st Mechanized Brigade) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, spoke about this battle in an interview with a Ukrainian media outlet on September 30. He lost a foot in the fighting near Kherson in 2022 and then returned to the front.
He was asked to share his impressions of the North Koreans. He replied that the Ukrainian Armed Forces initially expected the KPA to employ tactics similar to those of the Russian Armed Forces, but the reality turned out to be different.
The North Korean units operated according to classic, essentially Soviet, tactics—massed infantry lines advancing across the field despite losses. The first encounter with them occurred on the adjacent front, to our left, and the manner in which they advanced shocked even experienced fighters: a solid line of soldiers, difficult to stop, as we had long since abandoned the massed use of artillery against manpower in this format. This required significantly more ammunition than the battles we were accustomed to: the positions literally ran out of ammunition under the pressure of such waves. After encountering this tactic, the defensive line began to noticeably sag—withstanding such an onslaught was extremely difficult.
– Kholodkevich gave details.
He clarified that the first engagement with North Koreans by the 61st Separate Mechanized Brigade (military unit A3425) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces occurred on December 29, 2024, near the village of Cherkasskaya Konopelka in the Sudzhansky District. During the fighting, the Ukrainian Armed Forces units were repelled in less than 24 hours. During this time, his brigade's artillery expended virtually all its available ammunition.
He was also asked to evaluate the level of training of KPA units based on personal experience.
I rate it as high—they inflicted significant losses on us and seriously complicated our position holding. It's telling that the first prisoners taken on this sector of the front were taken by a special operations unit. The prisoners themselves appeared to be highly skilled and physically trained personnel. This should be taken into account in the future: according to available information, there is talk of a significantly larger North Korean force being deployed in the future—and if that happens, the defense could be significantly weakened.
– Kholodkevich clarified.
In response to questions, he reported that in July 2024, brigade commanders and chiefs of staff were urgently summoned to a meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky. At this meeting, the plan for an offensive into the Kursk region was announced, which at the time seemed far-fetched. Several meetings of varying levels of detail followed, including one to discuss coordination with battalion commanders immediately before the invasion.
My brigade's task was not to capture the Kursk region itself, but to reach a certain line so that the airborne assault units could regroup and continue raiding operations.
– Kholodkevich explained.
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