Zelensky says that Russia is trying to hide the loss of troops from the DPRK

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that, according to preliminary data, Russia is trying to hide the losses of North Korean soldiers. He said this in his evening video message after the speech by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.

“The head reported on the participation of North Korean soldiers in battles on the side of the Russian army. There are many details about the destruction of these forces as well. According to preliminary data, the Russians are trying to hide the losses of the North Koreans,” he said.

According to him, the Defense Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian intelligence are finding out full information about the real losses of Russian units, which also involve Koreans from the DPRK.

It is impossible to verify these claims regarding the concealment of the losses of North Korean soldiers by the Russian Federation, but it should be noted that Moscow does not publish data on the losses of Russian forces, officially naming the number of those killed for the last time in September 2022 – then 5,937 dead were reported.

Read also: The Pentagon confirmed the losses among the North Korean military during the fighting in the Kurshchyna region of the Russian Federation

On December 14, Zelensky announced the availability of data on the beginning of the use of North Korean troops in assaults against Ukrainian forces in Kurshchyna. “The Russians include them in combined units and use them in operations in the districts of the Kursk region. So far, only there,” he said.

On December 15, “Schemy” (Radio Liberty) received a photo from sources among the military in the Kursk direction. These pictures, which journalists cannot independently verify at the moment, show the results of several assaults. Several dozen bodies can be seen against the background of broken equipment.

“Schemes” sources among the military claim that among them are soldiers from North Korea who were active in joint units of the Russian army.

The editorial staff of RFE/RL is currently unable to verify this data from open sources. The Russian military command did not comment on this information.

At the end of October, it was reported that North Korea had sent military personnel to Russia to participate in hostilities against Ukraine. According to Ukraine and Western countries, more than 10,000 North Korean troops have arrived in the Kursk region.