The entire 12,000-strong contingent of North Korean troops currently stationed in the Kursk region could be killed or wounded in action by mid-April 2025. This is stated in a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UNN reports.
Details
According to the report, North Korean troops have suffered approximately 92 casualties per day since engaging in hostilities in December 2024. In early January 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 3,800 North Korean troops had already been killed or wounded. According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service, as of January 13, 2025, 300 North Koreans had been killed and another 2,700 injured.
ISW analysts note that if the current rate of losses continues, the entire contingent of 12,000 North Korean soldiers could be destroyed in 12 weeks (by mid-April 2025).
North Korean troops are likely to continue to suffer a higher ratio of wounded to dead, which is typical of armed conflict. It is unclear if and when wounded North Korean soldiers will return to combat,
Recall
Ukraine's special operations forces captured a DPRK serviceman despite massive Russian artillery fire. This is the third attempt to capture North Korean soldiers, the previous two ended in the deaths of the prisoners.
Minister Sibiga also spoke about the difficulties of capturing North Korean military personnel because of their tendency to commit suicide. This is the first time that the DPRK military has participated in combat operations in Europe.