Ukraine-Russia war latest: North Korea suffering ‘significant losses’ in Kursk

North Korean troops fighting inside Russia’s Kursk region have suffered “significant” troop losses, the US said, supporting reports from Ukrainian intelligence.

A White House official said North Korean troops were being moved forward to the frontline, having previously operated deeper inside Russian territory.

“We do believe that they have suffered some significant losses, killed and wounded, but it’s difficult for me to put an actual number on it. I would say, certainly in the realm of dozens, several dozens,” national security communications adviser John Kirby said.

His comments support claims by Ukraine’s military spy agency that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded over the weekend, the first report of North Korean losses in the Ukraine war.

Ukrainian intelligence officials earlier said around 200 Russian and North Korean soldiers were estimated to have been killed while fighting in combined units against Ukrainian forces.

North Korean forces were first sighted in the Kursk region in October and there have been sporadic claims of clashes and casualties since then, though no tallies have been reported.

Ukraine estimates there are 11,000 North Koreans in total operating in Russia near the frontline.

Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi described the fighting as “extremely tough” as he was pictured visiting the Pokrovsk area in Donetsk, where Russian forces have advanced to within just a few miles of the city’s outskirts.

The area is a linchpin of the wider region’s defence and war trackers have expressed concern that should it fall, it could pave the way for Russia to seize swathes of more territory.

The Independent looks at the flashpoints of the frontline, and why some believe these losses will continue unless Ukraine’s military undergoes major changes.

A group of Western countries will begin to check insurance documents of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of vessels in the English Channel, Danish straits, Gulf of Finland and the sound between Sweden and Denmark, Estonia’s government said yesterday.

The measure was agreed between the governments of Britain, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Poland and Estonia, the Baltic nation’s government said in a statement.

Sir Keir Starmer has said Western allies must double down support for Ukraine, as the war enters its third winter since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

Speaking in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, at a meeting on military investment, Sir Starmer noted what ‘little regard’ Russian leaders have shown for human life.

Sir Starmer noted that Russia remains able to ‘backfill its military capability’ in ways that Kyiv’s forces cannot without western aid.

Back in September, the BBC reported that more than 70,000 people in the Russian military had already died fighting in Ukraine.

At least 30 soldiers of North Korean units fighting for Russia have been killed or wounded around several villages on the front in Russia’s Kursk region over the weekend, Ukraine’s HUR military spy agency said.

This marks the first official confirmation of North Korean losses in the Ukraine war. The casualties occurred around the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka in the Kursk region but the Ukrainian officials have not shared evidence yet.

“Due to the losses, the assault groups are being replenished with fresh personnel, in particular from the 94th separate brigade of the DPRK army, to continue active combat operations in Kursk region,” the Ukrainian agency wrote.

Kyiv first said North Korean forces turned up in Kursk region in October and later reported unspecified clashes and casualties. It estimates there are 11,000 North Koreans in total, adding to a force of tens of thousands of Russians.

President-elect Donald Trump suggested that he may reverse president Joe Biden’s recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory.

Asked if he would consider reversing the Biden administration decision, Mr Trump responded: “I might. I think it was a very stupid thing to do.”

He also expressed anger that his incoming administration was not consulted before Mr Biden made the move. With the loosening of the restrictions, Biden gave Ukraine long-sought permission to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) provided by the US to strike Russian positions hundreds miles from its border.