Around 8,000 North Korean troops still active in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief says

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief denied recent media reports that North Korean troops deployed to Russia have temporarily retreated from the front lines, in an interview published on Wednesday.

In this screenshot of a video released by Ukrainian media, North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia are seen on the battlefield in the Kursk Oblast in southwestern Russia on Dec. 5 last year. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief denied recent media reports that North Korean troops deployed to Russia have temporarily retreated from the front lines, in an interview published on Wednesday.

Speaking with military news outlet The War Zone, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR), said around 8,000 North Koreans are still fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, near the Ukraine-Russia border.

Budanov acknowledged a decrease in the number of North Korean troops and said Ukraine is working to confirm the reason. He suggested that the losses could be linked to their lack of combat experience and reliance on mass wave tactics due to limited equipment.

“We have to wait some time to see if there are any real changes or if this is just lower activities for a couple of days,” Budanov said.

The War Zone added that it could not independently verify Budanov’s claims.

North Korea reportedly deployed around 11,000 troops to Russia in November last year. These forces were stationed near the western Kursk region, where they were involved in combat operations.

The New York Times reported on Jan. 30 that North Korean troops had suffered significant losses and retreated, citing anonymous U.S. and Ukrainian officials. The report suggested they might undergo additional training before being redeployed.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed the New York Times report on Tuesday, stating that North Korean soldiers in Russia had "not been seen at the front for about two weeks." The agency suggested significant casualties could be a contributing factor, though further details remain under investigation.

According to an NIS statement on Jan. 13, the agency estimates that the number of North Korean casualties in Russia has surpassed 3,000.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]