British intel reveals major North Korean losses in Kursk amid Russia-Ukraine war
Photo: British intelligence reveals massive military losses of North Korea (Getty Images)
Combat operations in the Kursk region have resulted in losses of more than 6,000 military personnel from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), fighting on the side of Russia, informs the UK Ministry of Defense.
According to the latest British intelligence, DPRK forces most likely suffered over 6,000 casualties during offensive operations against Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region.
According to this data, total losses exceed half of the approximately 11,000 DPRK servicemen initially deployed in the Kursk region.
Open sources indicate that the DPRK later deployed a limited number of additional troops to Kursk. Significant DPRK losses were almost certainly mainly due to large-scale attacks involving high infantry attrition.
The intelligence report stated that on June 4, 2025, Russian Security Council Secretary and former Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu visited the DPRK to meet with Kim Jong Un. This was Shoigu’s second meeting with the North Korean leader in less than three months.
British intelligence considers Shoigu a key interlocutor with the DPRK regarding North Korea's support for Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Russian losses on the Kursk front
Ukrainian Defense Forces launched an operation in the Kursk region on August 6, 2024. It has been ongoing for ten months.
Last fall, Russian troops attempted an offensive in the Kursk region. Western media reported that the attempt failed.
The first reports about Russia planning to deploy North Korean soldiers to the war in Ukraine appeared in October. By December, it was confirmed that the first battalions of DPRK troops were transferred to the Kursk region to support the Russian army.
Earlier this year, Ukrainian forces managed to capture two North Korean soldiers.
RBC-Ukraine covered the capture of the first DPRK soldiers in Kursk and reported what the Koreans themselves say about the war.
In recent months, Russian forces have made several active attempts to push Ukrainian troops out of the region. This forced the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw to more favorable positions. As a result, Ukraine also lost control over the Russian town of Sudzha.
According to the General Staff of Ukraine, Russian army losses on the Kursk front reached more than 60,000 personnel as of April this year.
