Ukraine's Special Forces say they killed 21 North Korean soldiers, show combat footage
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Warning: Footage includes violent and graphic content.
Soldiers of the 8th Regiment of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces resisted a North Korean assault in Russia’s Kursk Oblast for eight hours before retreating, killing 21 and wounding 40 soldiers, the unit said on Jan. 22.
The statement comes as Russia ramps up efforts to push out Ukrainian troops entrenched in the western Russian region, deploying its North Korean allies in ground assaults.
In a video shared by the Special Operations Forces, a large assault group of purportedly North Korean soldiers is seen crossing an open field and forest, followed by close combat footage with only dozens of meters between the two sides. In the end, graphic footage shows killed soldiers claimed to be North Koreans.
"At the ninth hour of the battle, the Special Operations Forces had only a third of their ammunition left. They spent the rest on destroying (North Korean forces)," the Telegram post read.
The Ukrainian fighters held off the assault with small arms, grenade launchers, and snipers. Eventually, the Ukrainian troops retreated in two Humvees, the post read.
North Korea deployed around 12,000 soldiers in Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion in August 2024 to bring the war to Russian territory. They have suffered 4,000 casualties, both wounded and killed, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed earlier in January 2025.
In exchange for the troop transfer, Russia is paying over $2,000 for each North Korean soldier, though officials said it is unclear how much is allocated to individual soldiers and the Pyongyang government.
