This is reported by BBC, citing its own sources.
The total losses among soldiers from North Korea reach 4,000 — this figure includes those killed, wounded, missing, and captured. The publication notes that such a level of losses is quite significant.
BBC states that it is currently unclear where the injured North Korean military personnel are receiving treatment. It is also unknown when and in what numbers they will be replaced.
In October 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had received information about the preparation by Russia of two units of North Korean soldiers, each consisting of 6,000 personnel. As of January, Zelensky reported that 4,000 soldiers from North Korea had been neutralized in the Kursk region.
Ukrainian military personnel say that the soldiers from North Korea do not wish to surrender, often taking their comrades with them or committing suicide when faced with the threat of capture. They also do not take prisoners — Ukrainian soldiers who attempted to surrender were killed.
In Russia, attempts are being made to conceal the involvement of North Koreans in combat operations. According to the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, they were recorded in documents as Tuvinians. Zelensky also mentioned instances of facial burning to prevent the identification of bodies.