North Korean military units fighting on the side of Russia in the war in Ukraine have suffered serious losses in the Kursk region, US government sources report. Most likely, it is several hundred casualties, Washington reports.
This number includes both killed and wounded North Korean soldiers. The source notes that these troops are not trained in real combat.
Russia and North Korea have intensified their military cooperation since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In June, Pyongyang and Moscow signed a mutual defense agreement, which entered into force this month. Since mid-October, North Korean soldiers have begun arriving in Russia to fight against Kiev.
Russia's counteroffensive in the Kursk region
According to US estimates, North Korea has sent about 10,000 soldiers to support the Russian military. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Moscow is actively using North Korean soldiers in the fighting in the Kursk region. Mixed military units - with Russian and North Korean soldiers - are facing the Ukrainians there.
Zelensky posted drone footage on Telegram showing men hiding behind trees. According to the Ukrainian leader, these are North Korean soldiers who took part in an attack on a Ukrainian position. He also published footage that he said showed Russian troops trying to cover up the presence of North Koreans on the battlefield by using fire to burn off the faces of those killed. "There is no reason for North Koreans to die in this war", Zelensky wrote.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian military intelligence said at least 30 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded in the fighting in Kursk. The Ukrainian army entered Russian territory in August this year and occupied several hundred square kilometers of the region. Since then, Kiev's troops have been forced to retreat from much of the territory they captured. Earlier, Ukrainian military leaders said Russia had launched a "large-scale counteroffensive" in the region with the help of Pyongyang's military units.
The White House and the Pentagon confirmed this information - North Korean troops are fighting together with Russian units, and in some places independently.