Ukraine’s special operations forces have not seen any North Korean troops on the battlefield in Russia’s Kursk region for around three weeks. This suggests that they may have been forced to withdraw after taking heavy losses, according to a military spokesperson. The Ukrainian government had initially stated that 11,000 North Korean troops were deployed in the area to support Russian forces.
Despite this, Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s special operations forces, confirmed that there is no evidence of their presence. “Presumably, having suffered heavy losses, they were forced to withdraw,” he said.
Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Russia’s Kursk region in August, aiming to divert Moscow’s forces and gain a strategic advantage. However, Russia has been able to push Ukrainian troops back. The involvement of North Korean regular troops was confirmed by Kyiv and its Western allies, who stated that they were sent to the Kursk region in October.
In January, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that two North Korean soldiers had been captured alive on the battlefield by Ukrainian special forces.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-special-forces-say-nkorean-troops-not-seen-front-three-weeks-2025-01-31