In the dark labyrinth of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the battlefield turns into a bloody chessboard, where black and white pawns blur in the eyes of inexperienced players. North Korean soldiers, young recruits forced to support Russia, not only fall en masse, but sometimes make the wrong move, firing at their Russian allies. It is the dramatic paradox of a conflict where each piece on the chessboard represents an expendable life, manipulated by distant and indifferent hands.
Moscow and Pyongyang, like two desperate playersthey move their pieces not with strategy, but with the blind need to survive. On this confusing chessboard, where language, culture and chaos transform black and white into indistinguishable shades, North Korean soldiers pay the highest price, victims of wrong moves and faltering alliances.
According to Pentagon sources reported by the BBChundreds of North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in the Kursk region, a strategic area where Ukrainian forces are repelling Russian assaults. Estimates speak of at least 100 dead and over 1,000 injured, also confirmed by South Korean intelligence sources cited by CNN. Their lack of field experience and unfamiliarity with modern tactics, such as the use of drones, made them particularly vulnerable.
The chaos is amplified by episodes of friendly fire: a Russian prisoner, quoted by 24 Canale, said that, unable to distinguish between Russians and Ukrainians, North Korean soldiers opened fire on their allies, killing eight members of the Akhmat Battalion, made up of Chechens loyal to Ramzan Kadyrov. “For them, all Slavs look the same”declared the prisoner, highlighting the disorder that prevails in the camp.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskij, on his Telegram channel, denounced that Russia“is trying to hide the losses suffered by North Korean soldiers,” deployed on the front line without any chance of success, sacrificed to “Putin’s madness”. Zelenskij also defined these deaths as “useless”, explaining that these are young people forced to fight in a war that does not belong to them.
Behind the scenes, this alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang is revealed for what it is: a game played with defective pieces. An investigation by Panorama had already highlighted, even before Russia officially deployed North Korean soldiers, that the Kremlin was increasingly intensifying relations with Kim Jong-un’s regime, bringing to the border an unprecedented flow of North Korean citizens with admittedly “educational” visas. However, among the 3,765 admissions registered between July and September, only 130 were enrolled in Russian university courses.
As documented by the BBC, many young North Koreans are exploited as cheap labor or sent directly to military training camps. “Many of us were hoping for an education.”confesses a young North Korean under anonymity, “but they sent us to forced labor or, worse, to fight. If they repatriate us, atrocious torture and even the death penalty for treason await us.”
Russia’s growing dependence on North Korea isn’t limited to soldiers, but it also extends to military supplies. According to an analysis by ForbesPyongyang is supplying Moscow with artillery, such as M-1989 Koksan howitzers, which use non-standard 170mm ammunition, exacerbating Russian logistical difficulties. These supplies would seem more of a problem than a solution. The asymmetry of the exchange is obvious: while North Korea receives nuclear technologies, Russia receives old weapons. But what other choice does Russia have, whose artillery corps is increasingly debilitated and dependent on North Korea?
The chaos also extends to coordination on the ground: incidents of friendly fire, such as the killing of eight Chechens from the Akhmat Battalion by the North Koreans, demonstrate how fragile this alliance is. Every misstep, every wrong move, turns an already weak strategy into a tragedy. These episodes and the request for soldiers from the allies seem to highlight the decline of Russian industrial capabilities, incapable of independently supporting a prolonged conflict.
The alliance between Russia and North Korea, born out of mutual desperation, it reflects strategic interests rather than real political harmony. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Pyongyang took the opportunity to strengthen ties with Moscow by recognizing the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. In July 2023, Russian and Chinese delegations visited North Korea to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, during which Kim Jong-un and Sergei Shoigu discussed strategic defense collaborations. Subsequently, satellite images revealed transfers of military equipment between the two countries, marking a new phase of cooperation.
In September, the meeting between Kim and Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome consolidated this alliance. Since then, it is estimated that over one million rounds of ammunition and rockets have been transferred through approximately 7,000 containers. In exchange, Russia granted Pyongyang access to the global financial system and provided advanced missile and nuclear technologies.
This collaboration, however, is not without problems. Russia’s dependence on North Korean military supplies, such as M-1989 Koksan howitzers, has exacerbated Moscow’s logistical difficulties, while the deployment of poorly trained troops has led to devastating losses and ineffective coordination on the ground.
The tragedy of the North Korean soldiers, forced to fight and die for the interests of others, it is a cruel warning: even the closest alliances can collapse under the weight of spilled blood. As Zelenskiy stated: “History will not forgive these wrong moves”. In a war where pawns are sacrificed without remorse, the line between black and white dissolves, leaving only a bloody battlefield.
