Ukrainian soldiers are holding off nearly 50,000 troops in Russia's embattled Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 11.
Zelensky's statement came a day after The New York Times reported that Moscow is preparing to launch an offensive in Kursk Oblast with a force of 50,000 soldiers, both Russian and North Korean.
Russia has also deployed thousands of North Korean troops in the embattled region, with some reportedly already clashing with Ukraine in small-scale engagements. Around 11,000 North Korean soldiers were stationed in Kursk Oblast as of Nov. 4.
Kyiv launched the surprise offensive into Kursk Oblast in August, with Russian forces have managed to reclaim around half of the territory initially lost.
The Kursk incursion was also intended to preempt a Russian plan to invade Sumy Oblast to create a "buffer zone" in Ukraine's north and draw Russian forces away from Donetsk Oblast, where Moscow keeps steadily advancing, the Ukrainian military said.
According to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russian forces have suffered 7,905 soldiers killed, 12,220 injured, and 717 captured during the three months of the Kursk offensive.
Zelensky has previously said that if Ukraine had permission to use Western long-range weapons against targets deep inside Russia, it could preemptively target "every camp" in Russia where North Korean troops are gathering.
Chris York
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