Ukrainian forces claim 'significant' casualties among North Koreans in Kursk

LONDON -- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence said on Monday that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed and wounded in weekend battles in Russia's western Kursk region, prompting commanders to send reinforcements to frontline units.

"North Korean army units are being re-equipped after losses in assaults" around the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka in the Kursk region, the GUR wrote in a post to its official Telegram channel.

On Dec. 14 and 15, the GUR said, "units of the DPRK army suffered significant losses -- at least 30 soldiers were killed and wounded," using the acronym for the country's official name of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

At least three North Korean troops went missing around ​​the village of Kurilovka in Kursk, the post added.

"Due to losses, the assault groups are being replenished with fresh personnel, in particular from the 94th separate brigade of the DPRK army, to continue active combat operations in the area," the GUR wrote.

Pyongyang is believed to have sent up to 12,000 troops to Russia in recent months, according to a November briefing by Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. Their focus is believed to be the Kursk region of western Russia, where Ukrainian forces seized ground in a surprise August offensive.

Sources told ABC News in November that North Koreans may be among the approximately 50,000 troops being readied for a significant counteroffensive in Kursk.

Russian leaders have said they will not consider any peace talks while Kursk remains partially occupied, though officials in Kyiv frame their retention of Russian territory as important negotiating leverage.

North Korea's provision of troops marked a new level of cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. The two neighbors have drawn closer since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with North Korea already providing Moscow with artillery munitions and ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Kyiv has "preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults -- a significant number of them."

"The Russians include them in combined units and use them in operations in the Kursk region," Zelenskyy said in a statement posted to his Telegram page. "So far, only there. But we have information suggesting their use could extend to other parts of the frontline. There are also already noticeable losses in this category."

"We will defend ourselves, including against these North Koreans," Zelenskyy added. "And we will continue to act in coordination with all our partners to stop this war -- to stop it decisively, with guaranteed peace."