KYIV: Ukraine mentioned on Monday (Dec 16) that its troops killed or wounded not less than 30 North Korean soldiers who had been deployed by Russia to its western Kursk area, the place Ukraine has seized territory.
1000’s of troops from North Korea have come to strengthen Russian forces, together with within the Kursk border area the place Russia has been clawing back territory after a surprise offensive from Ukrainian forces this summer time.
“On Dec14 and Dec 15, military items from the Democratic Folks’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) suffered vital losses close to the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, Martynovka within the Kursk area of Russia – not less than 30 troopers have been killed and wounded,” Ukraine’s navy intelligence mentioned.
The items are “being replenished with contemporary personnel” from North Korea, which Western officers estimate has despatched not less than 10,000 troopers to assist Moscow.
Russia and North Korea have boosted their military ties since Moscow’s invasion.
Russia has begun deploying “a noticeable quantity” of North Koreans in assaults to push Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk area, Zelenskyy mentioned on Saturday.
He mentioned that in response to his data, “the Russians embody (North Koreans) in mixed items and use them in operations within the Kursk area”, the place Ukraine launched an incursion in August.
Zelenskyy mentioned he has additionally heard the North Koreans “could also be utilized in different elements of the entrance line”, and that “losses amongst this class are additionally already noticeable”.
Russia’s defence ministry mentioned final week its troops recaptured some small settlements within the Kursk area.
Final month a Ukrainian military supply advised AFP that Kyiv controls 800 sq km of territory there, down from earlier claims it managed round 1,400 sq km.
