US military estimates "several hundred" North Korean casualties in Ukraine war NYT report

The Pentagon has stated that the Ukrainian military may have killed or wounded "several hundred" North Korean soldiers sent to assist Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine.

According to The New York Times, the information comes from a senior US Defense Department official, per Caliber.Az.

The official revealed that Ukraine's forces targeted North Korean soldiers, who were part of a combined force of 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops stationed in Russia's Kursk region to push back Ukrainian forces. The Pentagon noted that the North Korean soldiers were not battle-hardened, and Ukrainian forces specifically struck their control points and infantry positions.

This military cooperation between North Korea and Russia intensified after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The two nations signed an agreement in which they pledged mutual military assistance in case of armed aggression.

Recently, the Ukrainian military released images and videos showing Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in action during assaults in the Kursk region. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence's Main Intelligence Directorate estimates that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in these encounters.

Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder confirmed that North Korean troops first engaged in combat alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region, where they sustained casualties. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also noted that, while the United States has not yet confirmed the transfer of new North Korean military units to Russia, they do not rule out the possibility.

By Tamilla Hasanova