North Korean troops impressed with their physical fitness during combat operations on the Kursk axis.
This was stated in an interview with LB.ua by Deputy Commander of the 8th Air Assault Corps, Pavlo Rozlach.
“For their initial assaults, they (the North Koreans — ed.) would dismount 15 kilometres from the line of contact, carrying full ammunition and backpacks, move closer to the positions, and then run like Usain Bolt. They are extremely fast, firing on the move… If you compare Wagner fighters in 2022 with the Koreans, then Wagner are like infants. Technologically, the Koreans lagged behind, but their infantry is a terrifying force,” he explained.
In addition, Rozlach said that North Koreans refused to surrender.
“Yes, it’s true. We managed to capture two with the efforts of the 95th Brigade and Special Operations Forces. Do you remember the one with the bandaged face? We didn’t inflict those injuries on him… He was the only one left out of twenty soldiers, yet he kept carrying out his mission. They have no ‘reverse gear’. In the end, he was concussed and captured unconscious. Later he came to, realised where he was… For them, captivity is a disgrace. He saw a post and ran headfirst into it to kill himself. They are ideological, completely hardwired. I will return a hero — either alive or dead. That was enough for him,” said the deputy corps commander.
According to President Zelenskyy, about 10,000 North Korean soldiers were on Russian territory as of late February 2026.