Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and the Pentagon on Monday said that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region.
Those are the first reported casualties since the US and Ukraine announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost three-year war.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said that about 30 North Korean troops were killed or wounded during a battle with the Ukrainian army at the weekend.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The casualties occurred around three villages in Kursk, where Russia has for four months been trying to quash a Ukrainian incursion, the agency, known by its acronym GUR, said in a public post on Telegram.
At least three North Korean servicemen went missing around another Kursk village, the GUR said.
The White House also said it now believes North Korean troops are on the “front lines” of Russia’s war and are “actively engaged in combat operations” against Ukraine.
US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby confirmed the assessment on Monday after the Ukrainian government said that North Korean troops had moved from support roles into direct fighting on behalf of Russia.
Kirby said North Korean troops are taking casualties in the fighting, and promised a strong US and allied sanctions response to North Korea.
Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that some North Korean troops have died in combat in Kursk, but did not have a specific number of those killed or wounded.
Those troops have primarily been used in an infantry role and started fighting in combat operations about a week ago, Ryder said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions to the Russian Ministry of Defense, which did not immediately comment.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged unwavering support for Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
The alliance gave a jolt to international relations, and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said that the planned deployment of US intermediate-range missiles to Europe and Asia has brought new threats.
“In view of rising geopolitical tensions, we must take additional measures to ensure the security of Russia and our allies,” Putin told a meeting with top military brass. “We are doing it accurately and in a balanced way to avoid being drawn into a full-scale arms race.”
However, military analysts say the language barrier has bedeviled combat coordination between Russian and North Korean troops.
“The poor integration and ongoing communication problems between Russian and North Korean forces will likely continue to cause friction in Russian military operations in Kursk ... in the near term,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said on Sunday.
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