Media Wire

Zelensky claims over 3k North Korean soldiers killed, wounded in Russia

The number of killed and injured North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast has surpassed 3,000, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed in a statement.

Russia has reportedly deployed about 12,000 North Korean troops to help oust Ukrainian troops fighting in Kursk Oblast since early August.

Zelensky warned of the global risks posed by deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, including the transfer of modern warfare experience and advanced military technology.

“There are risks of North Korea sending additional soldiers and military equipment to the Russian army, and we will have tangible responses to this,” Zelensky stated.

He added that increased collaboration between Russia and North Korea threatens to destabilize the Korean Peninsula and nearby regions.

Zelensky’s estimation, that he said comes from Ukraine’s intelligence, is a significant increase from other recent reports about the North Korean casualties.

South Korean MP Lee Sung-kwon told reporters on Dec. 19 that at least 100 North Korean troops have been killed and 1,000 injured, with casualties linked to their lack of experience with terrain and modern drone warfare.

Reports of North Korean troops fighting in Kursk Oblast emerged earlier in November, but Russia reportedly started using them in ground assaults in December. Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder confirmed on Dec. 16 that North Korean soldiers had sustained their first casualties during combat in the region.

Ukrainian officials note that while North Korean forces are particularly vulnerable to drones, their presence has enabled Russian troops to make limited territorial gains in the oblast, retaking some of the land held by Ukrainian troops.

The deployment of North Korean forces follows Ukraine’s surprise cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August, marking an escalation of the war into Russian territory.

IFP Media Wire

Reports and views published in the Media Wire section have been retrieved from other news agencies and websites, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website. The IFP may change the headlines of the reports in a bid to make them compatible with its own style of covering Iran News, and does not make any changes to the content. The source and URL of all reports and news stories are mentioned at the bottom of each article.

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