Soviet-style battalions are half that size though. They usually get augmented with more hardware and are then used as independent units, in what the Russians call a Battalion Tactical Group.

If they lost a battalion, that's 500-600 people, if they lost the whole BTG, it's 700-800.

[–] atro_city@fedia.io 18 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Losing that many people in 2 days is impressive though. What a meatgrinder.

[–] HK65@sopuli.xyz 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's a good question what "loss" means here. A total disorganized rout is also a total loss, even though some men might be recoverable and still in fighting shape. The hardware is cooked though. And actually, a rout usually means the Ukrainians get to capture it, so there's your new tank.

And I wouldn't want to be the guy trying to find where hundreds of North Koreans ended up near Kursk, with them not speaking any language anyone would understand and not knowing the area.

The Kursk front has some of the biggest single hits the Ukrainians have delivered to Russian manpower though. Remember the troop convoys where artillery hits were killing dozens to hundreds of soldiers all at once since the freshly mobilized troops didn't know where to go and were just sitting densely packed in trucks on the road?

[–] bradorsomething@ttrpg.network 1 points 7 months ago

That’s a big point… when you degrade a battalion, you degrade (generally) the line troops. There are support troops, admin, logistics, etc associated that are not generally killed. A truck strike like those vehicles gets everyone.

[–] BedSharkPal@lemmy.ca 42 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Do North Koreans even know about cell phones and drones?

It seems to me like they've just been pulled into some nightmare dystopian future where mechanical birds are blowing up their comrades.

[–] Kushan@lemmy.world 17 points 7 months ago

Wasn't there a report recently talking about the north Koreans binging on porn because the internet isn't as restrictive?

I'd assumed they were using personal electronics for that.

[–] Hubi@feddit.org 11 points 7 months ago

I've seen some videos and diaries from North Koreans talking about FPV drone attacks but I'm pretty sure they only get a very basic crash course at most before they arrive at the front. Hell, even the Russians themselves don't have any solid strategies to deal with them aside from unreliable electronic warfare systems.

[–] Doom@ttrpg.network 8 points 7 months ago

No they know machines exist. They probably just didn't expect strategies to be so different

[–] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 38 points 7 months ago (2 children)

every single one of them probably just teenagers yoinked from their homes because they're the only ones who can walk without a limp and/or bent back like everyone else in the village over 25

[–] HaleHirsute 14 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, they surely don’t even understand what country they’re in or why.

[–] Quexotic 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

They just know if they're captured alive, their families die.

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

and since they don't know if they died or are captured there is really only one thing that happens.

[–] Quexotic 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I'd like to think that now that Ukraine knows this, they will be quiet about North Korean prisoners. It's the right choice ethically, but I think there's probably also stragic gain to be had.

Also, North Korea is dumb, but they're not plumb dumb. If they kill enough soldiers' families, they'll have morale issues. They're smart enough to "make a few examples" just to keep em terrified. Evil enough too. The whole situation sickens me. Like, I wasn't a fan of them before but this is a whole new level of evil.

Sacrificing thousands of human lives just to get military tech.

NK needs to be conquered and liberated.

[–] Chuymatt@beehaw.org 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

At this point, no country nearby wants that to happen. The number of refugees would be insurmountable, and the skills that they have are completely un generalizable.

[–] Quexotic 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's a very valid point. Never thought about that.

A bloodless coup then?

I just feel bad for all the north Korean citizens. Largely blameless, universally suffering.

[–] Chuymatt@beehaw.org 1 points 7 months ago

I know. Civilians all caught up in the middle.

[–] skeezix@lemmy.world 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

And they dont have liver failure yet like everyone else in the village

[–] pachrist@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Honestly, from other things I've read about North Korean units, they probably just meet a height requirement.