North Korean forces fighting alongside Russia in its war against Ukraine have faced heavy casualties, with over 1,000 killed or wounded in the past week alone in Russia’s Kursk region, White House spokesperson John Kirby revealed on Friday. This figure significantly exceeds previous estimates provided by US officials.
“It is obvious that Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as disposable, sending them into useless assaults against Ukrainian defenses,” Kirby said. He described their attacks as “massed, dismounted assaults” that lack adequate support or protection.
Neither North Korea‘s mission to the United Nations nor Russia’s UN mission responded to requests for comment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a nightly address, also reflected on the bad situation with North Korean troops. “Very significant losses,” Zelenskyy stated, adding that Russian and North Korean commanders were rather indifferent to the survival of their troops. “The Russians send them into battle with minimal protection, and everything is designed to prevent their capture,” Zelenskyy said. “There are cases in which North Korean troops were executed by their own side.”.
Although Ukrainian forces have captured some North Korean soldiers, Zelenskyy said that their severe injuries made it impossible to save their lives. “Koreans should not be losing their lives in a war in Europe,” he emphasized, urging China to pressure Pyongyang to withdraw if it genuinely wishes to prevent the conflict’s escalation.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy released preliminary numbers suggesting that more than 3,000 North Korean troops were killed or wounded in the Kursk region. This comes after a December 17 report from a US military official said that North Korea had suffered several hundred casualties in the same area. The casualties reportedly range from lower-level troops to high-ranking officials.
Kirby adds that US President Joe Biden is probably going to continue with the security assistance program for Ukraine in the upcoming days. Biden has labeled Russia’s continued attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as well as cities as cruel and said that the DoD must speed up arm deliveries to Kyiv.
