Several hundred North Korean soldiers killed and wounded in Kursk region

The Associated Press reported the information, citing a senior military official.

According to the outlet, this is the first estimate of the losses of the North Korean military fighting on the side of Russia.

The Associated Press source did not name the exact number of losses in the North Korean army. At the same time, the official notes that North Korea has suffered significant losses because its troops have no experience in combat.

The outlet reminds that Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder recently confirmed for the first time the losses among the North Korean military participating in the war against Ukraine. According to him, last week the DPRK military took part in battles in the Kursk region, where they suffered losses. However, he did not name the number of killed and wounded and did not specify any details.

Russian milbloggers reported last week on the "combat debut" of North Korean troops in the Kursk region. They claimed that North Korean forces allegedly captured the village of Plekhovo in the Sudzha district of Kursk.

North Korea's participation in the war against Ukraine

On December 13, North Korean army units involved in the war against Ukraine were put on alert. This was reported by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. The agency noted that the command of the North Korean units was ordered to interact with neighboring Russian units engaged in combat operations in the Kursk region. The North Korean military has also recently received additional food supplies. Some of it is being covertly transported to the front line by civilian trucks that resemble water delivery vehicles.

On December 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time officially announced the participation of North Korean soldiers in an offensive against Ukrainian positions in Kursk and, as a result, “significant losses” on their part.

On the same day, the Ukrainian military intelligence of the GUR announced the number of the first losses of North Korean soldiers - 200 people. In addition, according to the Ukrainian side, Kim Jong-un's soldiers mistakenly killed 8 Kadyrovites.

After suffering losses during assaults in Kursk, DPRK army units are being reinforced with fresh personnel to sustain active combat operations.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy says there are “many details” about the destruction of North Korean troops at the front in the Kursk region.

Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder confirms the deaths of North Korean soldiers in the fighting in the Kursk region of Russia.

Soldiers of Ukraine's 8th Separate Special Purpose Regiment eliminated at least 50 North Korean military personnel in Russia's Kursk region over three days.