North Korea transferred around 3,000 additional soldiers to Russia in January and February to compensate for battlefield losses sustained fighting Ukrainian forces, AP reported on March 27, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said that North Korean forces fighting for Russia had suffered around 4,000 casualties, with two-thirds killed.
Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, attributed their high losses to North Korea's lack of combat experience and reliance on human wave attacks with limited equipment.
According to the agency, Pyongyang has also supplied Moscow with short-range ballistic missiles, 170 mm self-propelled howitzers, and 240 mm multiple rocket launchers.
North Korea has become a crucial military partner for Russia, providing artillery shells, missiles, and troops in exchange for oil products and advanced rocket technology.
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast last fall to help Russian forces push back a Ukrainian incursion that began in August 2024.
Ukrainian troops initially seized 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory before Russian forces, reinforced by North Korean units, launched a counteroffensive earlier this month, recapturing significant ground, including the town of Sudzha.
Martin Fornusek
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