North Korean, Russian forces struggling with poor communication due to language barrier – ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said this in a new report, according to Ukrinform.

ISW analysts mentioned a statement issued by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) on December 14 that North Korean forces operating in the Kursk region recently fired at Chechen "Akhmat" Spetsnaz battalion vehicles and killed eight Chechen personnel in a friendly fire incident, likely due to the language barrier between the Russian and North Korean forces.

ISW experts also cited HUR as saying that a contingent consisting of Russian and North Korean servicemen in Kursk Oblast lost 200 personnel as of December 14 and that Ukrainian drones swarmed a North Korean position, which is consistent with recent reports of North Korean forces engaging in attritional infantry assaults.

"The poor integration and ongoing communication problems between Russian and North Korean forces will likely continue to cause friction in Russian military operations in the Kursk region in the near term," ISW said.

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