War in Ukraine: “At least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or injured” in fighting on Russian soil, according to kyiv

The Ukrainian military intelligence services (GUR) affirmed Monday, December 16 that “at least 30 soldiers” North Korean, fighting alongside the Russian army, were injured or killed this Saturday and Sunday in the Russian region of Kursk, partially occupied by Kiev forces.

North Koreans engaged near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorojba and Martynovka

“At least 30 soldiers were killed or injured” during the weekend, the Ukrainian GUR said on Telegram, citing “significant losses”. According to this source, these North Koreans were engaged in fighting near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorojba and Martynovka in the Russian region of Kursk, partially occupied since August by Ukrainian forces. Several thousand North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia in recent weeks to support the Russian army, according to Westerners, with the Kremlin for its part evading questions on the subject.

Also read:
War in Ukraine: “An intention to intimidate us”… Did Russia attack a vehicle of a UN body?

For its part, the Kremlin has each time evaded questions on the subject, not wanting to confirm this information. Pyongyang has neither confirmed nor denied this unprecedented deployment. Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual defense agreement in recent months – – which came into force at the beginning of December, according to Russian diplomacy -, which provides in article 4 for “immediate military aid” in the event of armed aggression from third countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that North Korean troops fighting for Russia were carrying out “assaults” in the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukraine still occupies several hundred square kilometers. He then also accused Moscow of having taken the war to “another stage”.