NYT Report: North Korean Troops Have Been Pulled Off Front Lines in Kursk Region After Suffering Heavy Casualties
North Korean soldiers who joined their Russian allies in battle against Ukrainian forces have been pulled off the front lines in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation after suffering heavy casualties.
The New York Times reported on this.
The American publication refers to officials from Ukraine and the United States.
According to sources, the North Korean military has not been seen at the front for about two weeks.
According to the newspaper, since arriving on the battlefield in the Kursk region to help the Russians oust Ukrainian troops, the DPRK soldiers have been left to their own devices.
They conducted their offensives with few armored vehicles and rarely stopped to regroup or retreat.
However, according to U.S. officials, it is possible that the North Korean soldiers could return to the battlefield. This could happen after additional training or after the Russians find new ways to deploy them to avoid such heavy losses.
The spokesman for the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, confirmed in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda that the presence of the DPRK military had not been noted in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation for about three weeks.
The military officer clarified that it referred only to those areas of the front where the Special Operations Forces were fighting.
“The Special Operations Forces speak exclusively about the areas where our units are deployed. In this regard, we would like to inform you that the presence of DPRK troops has not been observed for about three weeks. Presumably, having suffered heavy losses, they were forced to withdraw,” said Kindratenko.
Previously, a Pentagon spokesman told the NYT that the DPRK could’ve sent reinforcements to the Kursk region within two months to join Russia’s war against Ukraine.
As previously reported, the families of the North Korean soldiers killed during the hostilities against Ukraine are obliged to sign non-disclosure documents.