14 FEB: FOOTAGE: INSANE 16-HOUR BATTLE WITH NORTH KOREANS. | War in Ukraine Explained

🔴 Subscribe to our news website today and unlock exclusive strategic and tactical insights: https://www.rfunews.com/pricing Today, there are important updates from the Kursk direction. Here, in a desperate bid to regain the initiative, Russian forces prematurely pulled North Korean troops from recuperation in the rear and launched them into a grueling 16-hour multi-wave assault to break Ukrainian resolve. However, this quickly turned into a catastrophe as Ukrainian forces dismantled the assault, leaving the Russian and North Korean forces even more battered than before. The Russian objective was to launch a massive assault in the western part of the Kursk salient, to disrupt Ukrainian counterattacks in the east, and prevent them from consolidating their newfound gains and advancing further. By keeping Ukrainian forces engaged in the western part of the salient, Russia hoped to stretch Ukrainian defenses thin and set the stage for a deeper offensive beyond the Malaya Loknya River. The Russian attack began at midnight, taking advantage of darkness to move forces undetected into position. Russian and North Korean troops assembled in the Novoivanovka-Leonidovo agglomeration and the surrounding forests, using the tree cover to accumulate forces before launching their attack. At first, as the darkness helped the Russians cross the initial stretch of terrain with relative safety, they used various armored vehicles, spearheading the assault and transporting infantry toward Ukrainian positions. They aimed to conduct a relentless push through the open terrain, using sheer numbers to overwhelm the defenders. However, while the nighttime provided an initial advantage, the Russians faced significant disadvantages that doomed their assault. North Korean troops, already exhausted from previous battles, were pulled from their recovery in the rear and had no time to rest before being thrown into combat again. Russian forces, too, had been on an operational pause to recover from losses, meaning their reorganization was incomplete, further weakening the assault. But the greatest obstacle lays in the terrain itself. After crossing the initial 2-kilometer stretch along an already thin, single tree line, the last kilometer toward Nikolsky was open ground, providing no cover from Ukrainian fire. Ukrainian forces had anticipated a Russian push in this direction and had spent days preparing their defenses, preparing hidden firing positions, and stockpiling supplies. Constant drone surveillance allowed Ukrainian artillery to adjust its fire well before the assault began. Combat footage from the area reveals the brutal efficiency of Ukrainian defenses. At night, Russian and North Korean forces attempted an infiltration assault, moving in small groups under the cover of darkness. However, thermal imaging exposed them instantly, and precision artillery strikes wiped out entire squads before they could get close. Then, at daylight, the Russian mechanized column pushed forward, hoping to break through the Ukrainian kill zones. As the first enemy wave emerged from the tree line, FPV drones struck the leading vehicles, forcing the troops to dismount into a kill zone. With no cover and frozen ground preventing them from digging in, the enemy soldiers were left completely exposed. As more waves followed, Ukrainian defenders unleashed a devastating combination of firepower. Bradley infantry fighting vehicles provided suppressive fire, shredding enemy infantry with their 25-millimeter autocannons. Artillery rained down cluster munitions, causing chaos and further splitting Russian formations. Drone operators used drone-dropped grenades to eliminate infantry seeking cover in the sparse tree line. The battlefield quickly turned into a massacre, with Russian and North Korean soldiers cut down before they could even reach Ukrainian positions. In one particularly harrowing clip, North Korean soldiers, wearing inadequate camouflage, are seen trying to shoot down FPV drones with their rifles unsuccessfully, as each drone reaches its target, detonating with pinpoint accuracy. The battlefield is soon covered with the bodies of fallen soldiers, captured by Ukrainian reconnaissance drones hovering above. Overall, despite deploying North Korean reinforcements in trying to divert Ukrainian attention, the Russians achieved nothing except more staggering losses. The Ukrainian preparations paid off, allowing them to resupply ammunition and drone batteries to continuously eliminate the assaulting groups. By the end of the 16-hour assault, over a full Russian-North Korean company, over 150 soldiers, had been wiped out. The Russian hope of overwhelming the Ukrainians and securing Nikolsky crumbled in the face of the well-prepared defensive positions. This failure further drained Russia’s already depleted reserves, while Ukrainians remained firmly in control, dictating the tempo of the battle.