Ukraine came up with an ingenious tactic to deter North Korean forces

As reported by Newsweek, the Ukrainian military has launched strategic operations against North Korean troops who were shipped across the world to help Putin's army.

EuroNews writes that the Ukrainian military has been dropping leaflets and making videos encouraging North Korean soldiers in their own language to surrender.

Newsweek describes the leaflets distributed in the frontline as written in Korean and full of illustrations, explaining the process to surrender: lay down with the face on the ground, drop weapons, and hold up a white sheet or leaflet.

This initiative is made by the I Want to Live project. EuroNews explains that it started out in 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, targeting soldiers who didn’t want to fight in Putin’s “special military operation”.

According to Newsweek, the I Want to Live project claims that about 350 Russian soldiers have deserted thanks to their efforts.

“Not everyone wants to fight”, said Vitaliy Matvienko, a volunteer at the project, as quoted by EuroNews. “We know very well the living conditions in North Korea. Therefore, many may see it as a chance to escape the regime and go to another country”.

Back in mid-2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Pyongyang, where he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a comprehensive partnership, which included defensive matters.

Since then, there has been reports of North Korea supplying Russia with ammunition, missiles, and, more recently, personnel.

Newsweek writes that US, South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence estimate that there are up to 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia, sent by Pyongyang to aid Moscow’s war effort.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the first North Korean casualties have been found by Kyiv troops and that Moscow was using them, in words cited by Newsweek, as “cannon fodder”.

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