North Korean troops have already lost several hundred soldiers killed and wounded in the war against Ukraine.
This is reported by the Associated Press (AP), citing a high-ranking military official.
This is the first estimate of the losses of North Korean soldiers fighting on the side of Russia, notes AP.
It is not known exactly how many North Korean soldiers were killed. AP source notes that North Korea suffered significant losses because its troops have no experience in combat.
Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder on December 16 first confirmed the losses among North Korean troops participating in the war against Ukraine. He said that last week, North Korean troops took part in battles in the Kursk region, where they suffered losses. But he did not name the number of killed and wounded or provide any details.
Earlier, Ukrainian intelligence reported on the losses among the DPRK troops. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate (known as GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, on December 14-15, the DPRK army units lost at least 30 soldiers killed and wounded, and three more went missing.
Russian “military correspondents” last week reported on the “baptism of battle” of North Korean troops in the Kursk region. In particular, they wrote that “military forces from the DPRK” allegedly took the village of Plekhovo in the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region. Ukrainian military telegram channels published videos showing several dozen dead people — among them, it was claimed, were North Koreans.
Participation of North Korean military in the war in Ukraine
Ukrainian intelligence reported on October 24 that the first soldiers from the DPRK had already arrived at the front in the Kursk region. There are approximately 12 000 soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals.
According to sources in the American newspaper The New York Times, Russia has assembled a group of 50 000 soldiers for an offensive in the Kursk region. The North Koreans are being trained in artillery strikes, basic infantry tactics and, most importantly, trench clearing, American officials say. This means that at least some of the North Korean soldiers will be used in frontal attacks on Ukrainian positions.
On December 14, Ukraine received confirmation that the Russians had begun using a "significant number" of soldiers from the DPRK in assault operations.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.