North Korea troops partially withdraw from frontline in Russia’s Kursk after weeks of heavy losses
North Korea troops partially withdraw from frontline in Russia’s Kursk after weeks of heavy losses
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A Ukrainian special forces commander says North Korean troops have moved back from the fighting for roughly a fortnight. North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia near the Ukrainian border have temporarily withdrawn following weeks of heavy losses, Kyiv’s military has claimed.
A Ukrainian special forces commander tasked with retrieving DNA samples from North Korean soldiers claimed Pyongyang’s troops had retreated from one of the axes of the Kursk region, where they have been mobilised since last December, for roughly a fortnight.
It follows claims by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week that around a third of the 11,000 North Korean troops deployed to Kursk have already been wounded or killed. The withdrawal was confirmed by Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson of the Special Operations Forces.
“[They] will be back soon,” the commander, who goes by the call sign “Puls”, reportedly said. South Korean intelligence has claimed that Kim Jong Un is also planning to send more troops to Russia. It is unclear why the troops appear to have withdrawn, but the commander added that the North Korean troops had suffered significant losses due to an apparent lack of awareness about aerial threats. They have also been committing suicide to avoid being captured by Ukraine, which Kyiv says shows the extent of these troops’ brainwashing.
