Heavy casualties were reported among North Korean soldiers on December 14 and 15, after they suffered significant losses in clashes near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martynovka, according to AFP.
At least 30 North Korean soldiers have been reportedly killed or wounded by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine has been regaining territory.
Heavy casualties were reported among North Korean soldiers on December 14 and 15, after they suffered significant losses in clashes near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martynovka, according to AFP.
The North Korean troops had been deployed to the western region by Russia.
“On December 14 and 15, army units from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) suffered significant losses near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, Martynovka in the Kursk region of Russia -- at least 30 soldiers were killed and wounded,” Ukraine’s military intelligence reported.
North Korean troops have been sent in large numbers to support Russian forces, especially in the Kursk region, where Russia is trying to reclaim territory following a surprise Ukrainian offensive this summer.
Ukraine’s military intelligence added that the units are “being replenished with fresh personnel” from North Korea, with Western officials estimating at least 10,000 soldiers have been deployed.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the increasing involvement of North Korean soldiers, stating that Russia has started deploying “a noticeable number” of North Koreans in combined units to push Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region.
“The Russians include (North Koreans) in combined units and use them in operations in the Kursk region,” Zelensky said.
He also noted that North Koreans “may be used in other parts of the front line,” adding, “losses among this category are also already noticeable.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry claimed last week that it had recaptured some small settlements in the Kursk region.
A Ukrainian army source told AFP last month that Kyiv now controls 800 square kilometres of the region, a decrease from previous claims of 1,400 square kilometres.