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Comment by ponector | Hacker News Reader

> Russia has more men This is true in general. But not true for soldiers. They have more so many men willing to fight in Ukraine. If they have so many men - why the are Korean soldiers fighting for Russia? Or Africans?

You simply echo Russia Today narratives.

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> why the are Korean soldiers fighting for Russia

Isn't it better for Russia if Koreans die instead of Russians? It looks rational (but sad for Koreans dying in a war on the other side of the globe).

From Russian perspective it doesn't matter because they value Korean life the same: zero. Koreans are expensive, though. God knows what putin is trading for their troops. Probably rocket and nuclear technologies.

From military perspective Koreans are useless cannon fodder for to the language barrier and unaware of modern combat full with FPV drones.

I'm not sure of the accuracy of this, so take it with a grain of salt, but I did hear that rocket and nuclear technology is indeed part of the deal - terrifying. NK will also provide artillery shells.

> From military perspective Koreans are useless cannon fodder

Well, that's the soviet doctrine. Men are useless cannon fodder. It does give the NK the chance to catch up on modern combat.

and maybe you echo reddit too much, or some biased Ukrainian news site. It is no secret that Russia has more fighting men. It's just logical, since they have a significantly higher population.

Ukraine has so many men willing to fight that they have to kidnap them on the streets?

There's Korean soldiers fighting in Kursk only, as far as I'm aware. None in Ukraine. It's free man power for Russia. Both sides have merceneries from Africa and South America, among others.

https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2025/0...

> Staffed and decently equipped: Russia’s outlook for 2025

> Equipped but not staffed: Ukraine’s challenge for 2025

>Staffed and decently equipped: Russia’s outlook for 2025

Equipped with golf carts, motorcycles and donkeys?

Staffed with wounded men. There been many cases when russians force people on crutches advance into meat wave assault.

Kidnaping people from streets - that is a Russian narrative as well. Forced mobilization - sure that happens at war.

When police arrests someone - do you call it kidnap as well?

Do you consider iiss to be an unreliable source?

How are Russians gaining territory with gold carts, motorcycles and donkeys? How are those wounded men overwhelming the Ukrainian side?

Forcefully taking someone and sending them to the frontline, I consider that kidnapping yes. I believe forced mobilization to be immoral.

Can you please provide some reliable source that shows Ukraine having more manpower than Russia?

They are not overwhelming the Ukrainian side. They are making very slow, grinding advances, and taking massive casualties in the process. Between five and ten times as many as the Ukrainian casualties, because this has turned into a war that heavily favors defense.

They are making advances by overwhelming the Ukrainian side. Every day they are gaining land, while Ukraine does not.

> Between five and ten times as many as the Ukrainian casualties

Citation needed. I do think Russia has more casualties but 5-10x is ridiculous.

How much land on average have the Russians gained over the last 12 months? What is the projection of time until they take all of it? I recall the calculation bring 20+ years.

The Russian war machine cannot replace its losses, thus they rely on NK men and equipment, amazing job by the Ukrainians and the West destroying the Russian army twice and depleting all the old Soviet stock.

I think it might be even more than 20, it is slow but they are gaining. I don't think their objective is to get whole of Ukraine but the eastern oblasts (which they do have most of already) and maybe a buffer zone. But that's my speculation.

NK men are only in Kursk / Russian region. I don't think there's any confirmed NK men fighting in Ukraine.

According to iiss [1], Russia does not have man power issues, unlike Ukraine.

> amazing job by the Ukrainians and the West destroying the Russian army twice and depleting all the old Soviet stock.

I only wish it wasn't at the cost of hundreds of thousand of Ukrainian men.

https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2025/0...

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