At least 30 N Korean soldiers killed, wounded in Kursk: Ukraine

KIEV

Ukraine said on Monday that its troops killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers who had been deployed by Russia to its western Kursk region, where Ukraine has seized territory.

Thousands of troops from North Korea have come to reinforce Russian forces, including in the Kursk border region where Russia has been clawing back territory after a surprise offensive from Ukrainian forces this summer.

"On Dec. 14 and 15, army units from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [DPRK] suffered significant losses near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, Martynovka in the Kursk region of Russia: At least 30 soldiers were killed and wounded," Ukraine's military intelligence said.

The units are "being replenished with fresh personnel" from North Korea, which Western officials estimate has sent at least 10,000 soldiers to help Moscow.

Russia and North Korea have boosted their military ties since Moscow's invasion.

Russia has begun deploying "a noticeable number" of North Koreans in assaults to push Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region, Zelensky said on Dec. 14.

He said that according to his information, "the Russians include [North Koreans] in combined units and use them in operations in the Kursk region," where Ukraine launched an incursion in August.

Zelensky said he has also heard the North Koreans "may be used in other parts of the front line," and that "losses among this category are also already noticeable."

Russia's Defense Ministry said last week its troops recaptured some small settlements in the Kursk region.

Last month a Ukrainian army source told AFP that Kiev controls 800 square kilometers of territory there, down from previous claims it controlled around 1,400 square kilometers.

Meanwhile, NATO chief Mark Rutte will hold talks with Zelensky and several European leaders tomorrow, the alliance said, as Kiev's backers seek to strengthen its hand before Donald Trump takes power in the United States.

"The Secretary General will meet with President Zelensky on Wednesday. A number of European leaders are in Brussels for the European Council meeting and some of them may join to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine, in particular air defense," a NATO official said yesterday.

European officials said that leaders expected to attend included French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish leader Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The meeting comes as Ukraine's European allies have begun discussing the possibility of stationing foreign troops in Ukraine in case of a ceasefire with Russia.

U.S. President-elect Trump has vowed to push for a quick deal to halt the fighting when he assumes office in January.

That has sparked fears in Kiev and Europe that Ukraine could be pushed to make big concessions to Moscow after nearly three years of battling the Kremlin's invasion.

For now, officials insist that discussions on any settlement remain premature, and Rutte has urged them not to debate possible peace conditions in public as it risks playing into Russia's hands.