Reports of significant casualties continue to emerge as Ukrainian forces engage in direct combat with North Korean troops. Despite claims by President-elect Donald Trump of a peaceful resolution in Ukraine, the conflict appears to be intensifying daily.
The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency (DIU) reported on Sunday that at least thirty North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in Russia’s Kursk region. The DIU specified that casualties occurred in Plyokhovo, Borozba, and Martynivka villages. Additionally, at least three North Korean soldiers were reported missing in the village of Kurilovka.
DIU stated that new personnel from the North Korean Army’s 94th Independent Brigade are being deployed to assault units to compensate for the loss.
DIU estimated that Russian combat units, including North Korean troops, had suffered approximately 200 casualties on Saturday. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited this claim, noting its consistency with recent reports of North Korean involvement in infantry attrition warfare.
Russian propaganda outlets paint a different picture. Russian military blogger Vladimir Romanov said on his Telegram “Romanov Light” that North Korean special forces liberated Plyokhovo in Kursk. He alleged that these forces breached a 2-kilometer (1.24-mile) minefield at “hurricane-like speed,” destroying Ukrainian units and killing 200 to 300 Ukrainian soldiers within two hours.
Kursk, a contested area on the Russia-Ukraine border, has become a key battleground. Ukraine’s surprise capture of the region has left Russia struggling to regain control. Intelligence suggests that over 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Kursk.
The Kremlin has declined to comment on Ukraine’s claims of North Korean casualties near the Ukrainian border in Kursk.
According to Sputnik News, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov redirected inquiries about the DIU’s report of North Korean casualties to the Defense Ministry during a recent briefing.
Peskov also dismissed discussions among NATO and key European Union countries about potentially deploying peacekeeping forces to Ukraine on Wednesday as premature.
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