At least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded around several villages on the front line in Russia's Kursk province over the weekend, Ukraine reported.
This is the first time Ukraine has reported such detailed and large-scale North Korean losses, Reuters noted. According to Ukraine's military intelligence service, losses were recorded in the vicinity of the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka in the Kursk region.
“Due to losses, the assault groups are being replenished with new personnel, in particular from the 94th brigade of the North Korean army, to continue active combat operations in the Kursk region,” the Ukrainian military intelligence service said.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency reported the loss of North Korean soldiers after President Volodymyr Zelensky said on December 14 that Russia had for the first time used a significant number of North Korean troops to carry out attacks in the Kursk province.
Russia's Kursk province is where Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive to seize control in August this year.
Reuters noted that it was not possible to independently verify the number of North Korean casualties in the Kursk region that Ukraine announced. Russia neither denied nor confirmed the presence of North Korean soldiers in its combat forces.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang initially dismissed reports of the troop deployment as "fake news" but a North Korean official noted that any such deployment would be legal.
Ukraine first reported the presence of North Korean forces in Russia’s Kursk region in October. Kiev later reported clashes and unspecified casualties. Estimates put the total number of North Koreans at 11,000, along with tens of thousands of Russian troops.
