Suicide tactics, how North Korean soldiers operate in the Russian war

Creepy details have emerged from an investigation by the American media, CNN, about North Korean soldiers who are fighting in Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers tell CNN that North Koreans use unimaginable methods just to avoid falling into the hands of the Ukrainians. This includes exploding a grenade in the face so that they do not get caught by the Ukrainians. Using a fellow soldier to lure attack drones. Removing body armor plates and helmets to enable killing, as well as writing pledges of loyalty to North Korean supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, reports A2 CNN.

These are the brutal and near-suicidal tactics of North Korean soldiers who, since November, have been deployed to repel the Ukrainian incursion into the southern Russian border region of Kursk.

In a video shared with CNN, a Ukrainian soldier approaches a wounded North Korean soldier who was lying face down during the fighting. As the Ukrainian pulls on the North Korean soldier's leg to see if he's still alive, the North Korean lets out a scream in Korean before detonating a grenade near his head. South Korean lawmakers were told by the country's intelligence service, which has been providing assistance to Kiev, that the soldier's last words in the video were: "General Kim Jong Un," A2 CNN reports.

"They use grenades, which means they can blow themselves up," said Pokemon, a Ukrainian soldier. Ukrainian troops have taken DNA samples — saliva swabs and hair strands — from the dead, which they said showed they were drawn from East Asia and provided further evidence of North Korean involvement. CNN has seen several other notes and letters that Ukrainian soldiers found on the bodies of other North Korean soldiers. One sheet of paper is filled with pledges of loyalty to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and of victory in battle. It is unclear whether the notes were intended to emphasize the soldier's loyalty if killed in battle to protect their surviving families, or whether they truly reflect their mentality, A2 CNN reports.

Up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, according to Western intelligence reports, which say around 4,000 troops have been killed or wounded. (A2 Televizion)