White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said Russia was treating North Korean troops as an “expenditure” by sending them to impractical ground operations in its war against Ukraine.
“It is clear that Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as expendable and ordering them for hopeless attacks against Ukrainian defenses,” Kirby told a gaggle of reporters on Friday.
“It seems that these North Korean soldiers are very indoctrinated, pushing attacks even when it is clear that these attacks are futile,” he said.
He noted heavy casualties and failed missions for North Korean soldiers, which has led to suicide on the battlefield.
“We also have reports that North Korean soldiers are taking their own lives rather than surrendering to Ukrainian forces, possibly because of fear of reprisals against their families in North Korea if catch them,” said Kirby.
His comments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that soldiers were captured as prisoners of war, who died shortly after being captured.
“Today we received reports of several North Korean soldiers, our heroes managed to capture them. But they were seriously injured and could not bring them back,” Zelensky said in a Address Friday.
“This is one of the manifestations of the mad dictatorships that are possible,” he said. “The Korean nation should not lose its people in the battles in Europe.”
He urged China to pressure Kim Jong Un and leaders in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, to back down from war efforts.
Kirby announced that there were many injuries among North Korean soldiers in the media gaggle on Friday.
“Our estimate, so far, is that they have killed or wounded over 1,000 in this particular fight in the past week fighting on the front lines, Kirby said.
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