Kiev:
Ukraine said Monday its forces killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers deployed by Russia in the western Kursk region, where Ukraine has seized territory.
Thousands of troops from North Korea have come to reinforce Russian forces, including in the Kursk border area, where Russia has reclaimed territory after a surprise offensive by Ukrainian forces this summer.
“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 and Martynovka in the Kursk region of Russia – at least thirty soldiers were killed and wounded,” the Ukrainian newspaper said. according to military intelligence.
The units are being “replenished with new personnel” from North Korea, which Western officials say has sent at least 10,000 soldiers to help Moscow.
Russia and North Korea have strengthened their military ties since Moscow's invasion.
Russia has begun using “a noticeable number” of North Koreans in attacks to drive Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region, Zelensky said on Saturday.
He said that according to his information, “the Russians are incorporating (North Koreans) into combined units and using them in operations in the Kursk region,” where Ukraine launched an incursion in August.
Zelensky said he has also heard that the North Koreans “may be deployed to other parts of the front line,” and that “the losses under this category are also already noticeable.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said last week that its forces have recaptured some small settlements in the Kursk region.
Last month, a Ukrainian military source told AFP that Kiev controls 800 square kilometers of territory there, compared to previous claims that it controlled around 1,400 square kilometers.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)