War in Ukraine. More than 3,000 North Korean soldiers “killed” or “wounded” on the Russian side, according to Zelensky

More than 3,000 North Korean soldiers were “killed” or “wounded” in fighting with Ukrainian forces in the Russian border region of Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured on Monday.

Much more than previously announced

“According to initial information, the number of North Korean soldiers killed or wounded in the Kursk region has already exceeded 3,000,” Zelensky said on X. These figures far exceed the estimates of the General Staff of South Korean army, which reported Monday more than 1,100 North Korean soldiers killed or injured while fighting against Ukraine alongside Russia.

Faced with the Russian invasion for almost three years, Ukraine launched a surprise attack in the Kursk region at the beginning of August, the first land offensive on Russian territory since the Second World War. She still controls a small part of it. Several thousand North Korean troops have been sent to Russia in recent weeks to support Russian forces, according to Westerners.

This Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky corroborated Seoul's statements on the probable supply of new North Korean troops and weapons to Russia. “There are risks that North Korea will send additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army,” warned Volodymyr Zelensky, promising “tangible responses” from kyiv.

Reinforcements soon?

The general staff of the South Korean army also said it had observed preparations which made it believe that North Korea was preparing to send new troops to Russia, as reinforcements or to relieve those already fighting. Intelligence indicates that the North “is producing and delivering self-destructing drones” to Russia, he added.

According to Ukraine, the Russian army launched “intense offensive operations in the Kursk region in mid-December, actively using units of the North Korean army” which have already “suffered heavy losses”.

President Vladimir Putin, during his major annual press conference on December 19, admitted that he could not specify when his army would succeed in repelling Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region. “We will absolutely defeat them,” he nevertheless assured.