North Korean troops have faced over 5,000 casualties while fighting in Kursk against Ukrainian forces, according to Britain’s defense ministry. This marks nearly half of the original 11,000 sent to Russia. A third of the casualties are reported fatalities, primarily from dismounted assaults. Permission from Kim Jong-un and Putin is required for further deployment into Ukraine.
According to a recent intelligence report from the British defense ministry, North Korean forces have sustained over 5,000 casualties while engaging with Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region of Russia. This figure represents almost half of the initial 11,000 troops dispatched to Russia last year by North Korea in support of its military operations in Ukraine.
The report highlights that about one-third of these casualties were fatalities, resulting primarily from large-scale, attritional ground assaults. It was also noted that while North Korean and Russian forces have made recent territorial advancements in Kursk, any further deployment into Ukrainian territory would necessitate approval from both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Additionally, South Korean military estimates indicate that North Korea had previously reported around 4,000 casualties from the 11,000 troops sent last year, suggesting that 3,000 more soldiers were dispatched to Russia in early 2025 to bolster their forces in the ongoing conflict.
The British defense ministry’s intelligence report sheds light on the high casualty rates suffered by North Korean troops in the Kursk region during their conflict with Ukraine. With substantial losses nearly reaching half of the initial deployment, the report underscores the intense nature of the fighting and the strategic decisions that lie ahead for both North Korea and Russia regarding their military operations.
Original Source: en.yna.co.kr
