LONDON — Ukraine’s Defense Ministry’s General Intelligence Directorate said on Monday that at least 30 North Korean soldiers had been killed and wounded in weekend battles in Russia’s western Kursk region, prompting commanders to send reinforcements to frontline units.
Around the towns of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka in the Kursk region “North Korean army units are being re-supplied after suffering losses in attacks,” GUR wrote in a message to its official Telegram channel.
On December 14 and 15, GUR said, “DPRK army units suffered heavy losses — at least 30 soldiers were killed and wounded,” using the acronym for the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
At least three North Korean soldiers went missing near the Kursk town of Kurilovka, the post added.
A Ukrainian tank is seen in the Kursk region of Russia on September 16, 2024.
Global Images Ukraine via Getty
“Due to the losses, the assault groups are being supplied with new personnel, particularly from the 94th brigade of the DPRK army, to continue active combat operations in the area,” GUR wrote.
On Saturday, the GUR said units made up of Russian and North Korean troops had suffered a total of around 200 casualties. Ukrainian FPV drones inflicted very bad casualties on North Korean troops, the statement said.
GUR also noted on Saturday that the language barrier between North Korean and Russian troops is complicating battlefield operations. During the friendly fire, the GUR said North Korean riot troops opened fire on Chechen vehicles, killing eight fighters.
Pyongyang is believed to have sent 12,000 troops to Russia in recent months, according to a November briefing by Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder. Their focus is believed to be Russia’s western Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces seized ground in a surprise offensive in August.
Sources told ABC News that the North Koreans could be among the 50,000 troops preparing for a major counteroffensive in Kursk in November.
Russian leaders have said they will not consider peace talks as long as Kursk remains partially occupied, although officials in Kyiv see keeping Russian territory as important negotiating leverage.
North Korea’s provision of troops marked a new level of cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. The two neighbors have grown closer since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with North Korea already supplying Moscow with artillery munitions and ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyi said on Saturday that Kiev “has preliminary data that the Russians have started using North Korean soldiers in attacks, a significant number of them.”
Soldiers are seen during a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 27, 2023.
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
“The Russians include them in combined units and use them in operations in the Kursk region,” Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on his Telegram page. “So far, only there. But we have information that suggests their use may be expanding elsewhere on the front line. There are already noticeable losses in this category as well.”
“We will defend ourselves, even against those North Koreans,” Zelenskyy added. “And we will continue to act in coordination with all of our partners to stop this war — to stop it decisively, with peace guaranteed.”
