More than 3,000 North Korean soldiers killed or wounded in Russia’s Kursk region

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, assured this Monday that the North Korean troops fighting against a Ukrainian incursion in the Russian region of Kursk They suffered more than 3,000 casualties.

“According to preliminary data, the number of North Korean soldiers killed or wounded in the Kursk region has already exceeded 3,000,” Zelensky wrote on the X social network.

These figures far exceed the estimates of the South Korean General Staff, which on Monday reported more than 1,100 North Korean soldiers killed or wounded when they fought against Ukraine alongside Russian forces.

Several thousand North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia in recent weeks to support the army of this country, according to the Western powers.

On Monday, Zelensky assured that “there are risks that North Korea will send troops and additional military equipment to the Russian army” and promised “tangible answers” from Kyiv.

The South Korean General Staff also said it had observed preparations that lead it to believe that North Korea is preparing to send more soldiers to Russiato reinforce or relieve those already fighting there.

According to Ukraine, the Russian army launched “intense offensive operations in the Kursk region in mid-December, actively using units of the North Korean army,” which already “they suffered great losses.”

During his annual press conference on December 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that he does not know when his army will manage to expel Ukrainian forces from Kursk, of which they have controlled a small part since August thanks to a surprise offensive.

“Of course, we will defeat them”he assured.

Ukrainian forces are fighting to limit Russia’s advances and maximize their losses as the invading army focuses on advancing into the Donetsk region, where Kurajove, Pokrovsk and Velika Novosilka remain its key objectives.

An unknown number of Ukrainian forces have been surrounded in the village of Makarivkasouth of Velika Novosilka, in western Donetsk, according to the battlefield map updated by the DeepState analytical platform.

Russia seeks to cut off all logistics and seize Velika Novosilka, its analysts warn.

The situation is complicated, since Russia launches more than 40 daily attacks in the area, but “it is too early” to talk about an encirclement, however, stated Vladislav Voloshin, spokesman for the Southern Ukrainian defense force group.

Ukrainian troops are aware of Russian planss and are carrying out an active defense, he told the Ukrinform news agency.

According to the General Staff of the Army of Ukraine, In the last 24 hours there were 234 battles on the front line.

Urban warfare continues in Kurajove, where a local thermal power plant provides a formidable defensive position for Ukrainian troops.

Russia’s attempt to encircle the city from the north has recently stalled due to the high losses of its troops in recent weekswrites military analyst Kostiantin Mashovets for the Resistencia Informativa think tank.

However, Russia continues to advance towards Kurajove from the south, where its forces captured Uspenivka several days ago, after threatening for weeks to encircle Ukrainian troops fighting in the area.

According to Ukrainian army officer Mikola Melnik, the battle for Kurajove is practically lost. Commanders must ensure that Ukrainian forces are not fenced and leave on time, he emphasizes on social networks.

Although some analysts say Ukraine seeks to maximize enemy losses by fighting for each locality to the last, such tactics can sometimes be counterproductive amid personnel shortages, according to Melnik.