North Korean forces sustain heavy losses, withdraw from front line in Kursk region – NYT

North Korean forces have taken heavy losses in the fighting, leading to their withdrawal from the front line in the Kursk region.

The New York Times reported this.

According to Ukrainian and US officials, North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops against Ukraine were withdrawn from the front line after suffering heavy losses.

Anonymous sources in the publication note that North Korean troops were not seen at the front for about two weeks.

It is known that North Korea has sent about 11,000 troops to Russia. As the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, previously stated, the number of North Korean forces has been halved in three months of fighting.

Ukrainian military personnel described the North Koreans as fierce warriors, but disorganization and lack of cohesion with Russian units quickly led to losses.

North Korean soldiers advanced with few armored vehicles and rarely stopped to regroup or retreat.

American officials told the NYT that the decision to withdraw North Korean troops from the front line could change. According to them, North Korean soldiers could return to the battlefield after additional training or after the Russians find new ways to deploy them to avoid such heavy losses.

For reference:

As Militarnyi wrote, in August, the Special Operation Forces launched a counteroffensive in the Kursk region, establishing control over 1,100 km². However, due to enemy counterattacks, about 460 km² remained under the control of the Special Operations Forces by the end of the year.

However, the Ukrainian military is inflicting significant losses on the enemy. Thus, on January 2, the defenders carried out a high-precision strike on the Russian invaders' command post in the Maryine settlement.

In addition, on January 7, in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, operators of the 8th Regiment of the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine's armed forces destroyed 13 North Korean servicemen.

Also, on January 22, it became known that operators of the Special Operations Forces destroyed 21 and wounded 40 North Korean service members who were advancing on Ukrainian positions.

It should be noted that according to the estimates of specialists from the Institute for the Study of War, North Korean troops participating in hostilities in the Kursk region are suffering critically high losses. The entire contingent of 12 thousand service members, if the situation does not change, may be killed or wounded by mid-April 2025.