“We do assess that North Korean soldiers have engaged in combat in Kursk. We have indications that they have suffered casualties, both killed and wounded,” Ryder said, as reported by Reuters.

While the US lacks precise casualty figures, Ryder added that North Korean troops began combat operations last week.

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) claimed that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded during assault operations near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martynovka on Dec. 14-15.

Fresh reinforcements from North Korea’s 94th Separate Brigade are reportedly being deployed to replace the losses.

North Korean soldiers have been present in Kursk Oblast since October, initially serving in support roles.

Their recent participation in ground operations reflects a deepening military collaboration between Pyongyang and Moscow amidst ongoing war in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that the Russian military is attempting to hide the losses of North Korean soldiers fighting in the war against Ukraine.

“Russia is not only involving North Korean soldiers in assaults on Ukrainian positions, but is also trying to hide the losses of these people,” Zelensky said via his official Telegram channel.

The Russian military has attempted to keep the presence of North Korean units secret throughout their training and deployment, Zelensky added. He also claimed that Moscow has resorted to extreme tactics to disguise the identities of North Korean soldiers killed in combat.

Speaking at an extended meeting of the country’s defense board, the minister estimated that most units of Kiev’s army on the front line were severely understaffed, with only 45-50% of positions filled.

“The combat potential of [Kiev’s troops] has been undermined. This year alone, the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces exceeded 560,000 servicemen, either killed or wounded,” Belousov stated, adding that during Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, Kiev lost more than 40,000 soldiers.

“The Russian Armed Forces firmly hold the strategic initiative along the entire line of combat contact. The average daily advance of troops has significantly accelerated and is about 30 square kilometers. The enemy is being forced to go on the defensive and use its remaining reserves,” the minister stressed.

He also said that Russia’s high-precision weapons have caused significant damage to Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and the energy system supporting it, with Kiev “largely losing the ability to produce the necessary weapons, equipment and ammunition.” In 2024 alone, the Russian military destroyed some 58,000 units of various weapons and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, he specified.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky claimed in a post on X that since 2022, only some 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed. Back in February of this year, he insisted that Kiev had lost only 31,000 troops. However, media in the West has been skeptical of those estimates. In late November, The Economist reported that up to half a million Ukrainian troops had been killed or wounded in the conflict, based on leaked intelligence reports, official statements, and open sources.

The Ukrainian army has also been suffering from mass desertion, with troops fleeing in their tens of thousands, according to an Associated Press report in November citing anonymous lawyers and military officials. The report claimed that more than 200,000 soldiers quit the ranks this year alone, with entire units fleeing their frontline positions.

Russia does not make public its losses in the conflict. President Vladimir Putin explained in June that it is not done “as a rule.” He stated at the time, however, that the ratio of losses was approximately one Russian for every five Ukrainians.