Estimate from the USA

Hundreds of dead or injured North Koreans in Kursk

(Bild: AFP/Ed Jones)

The North Korean units fighting on the side of Russia have suffered heavy losses in battles with the Ukrainian army in the Russian border region of Kursk, according to a US government representative. "According to our latest estimate, North Korea has suffered several hundred casualties," said the US military official in Washington on Tuesday.

The government representative went on to say that the number of casualties he mentioned included slightly injured soldiers as well as soldiers who had been killed.

"They have never been in combat"
Soldiers of all ranks were affected. "These are not battle-hardened troops. They have never been in combat," he continued.

On X, the Ukrainian armed forces show how they are attacking North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. Grotesque: figures such as Santa Claus or penguins are mounted on drones in the camera's field of vision: 

10,000 soldiers to serve Russia
Russia and North Korea stepped up their military cooperation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In June, the two countries signed a defense pact, which came into force this month. From mid-October, the first reports of North Korean soldiers being sent to Russia emerged. According to US government estimates, North Korea sent around 10,000 soldiers to reinforce Russian units.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared at the weekend that Russia was deploying North Korean soldiers "to a considerable extent" in the fighting in Kursk. These soldiers fought in mixed units alongside Russian soldiers. On Monday, Ukrainian military intelligence stated that at least 30 North Korean soldiers had been killed or injured there.

Kiev lost most of the conquered territory again
The Ukrainian army had invaded the Kursk region in August and occupied several hundred square kilometers there. In the meantime, however, it has had to give up a large part of the conquered territory. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian army leadership declared that Russia had launched an "intensive" counter-offensive in the region.