Zelensky: North Korean troops suffered losses in battles with Ukrainian forces

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on November 7 that North Korean troops have already suffered losses in battles with Ukrainian forces.

According to him, part of the 11,000 North Korean troops sent to the Kursk region of Russia took part in battles against the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“There are already losses, that’s a fact,” said Zelenskyy, speaking at a press conference within the framework of the European Political Community summit in Budapest. He did not give details about these losses.

The President of Ukraine emphasized that Russia will resort to “much greater use of the North Korean contingent” if measures are not taken in response: the use of appropriate weapons and political pressure on the Russian Federation.

“Putin always looks at the reaction of the world. I believe that today it is insufficient,” Zelensky emphasized.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine previously reported that the first military units from the DPRK arrived in the combat zone of the Russian-Ukrainian war on October 23, “their appearance was recorded in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.”

On October 22, South Korea announced a possible review of support for Kyiv, in particular regarding the provision of lethal weapons and the deployment of personnel, depending on the situation in Ukraine.

The Pentagon confirmed the presence of at least 10,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on information about the transfer of North Korean troops to Russia, did not deny these data. When asked that, according to satellite images, North Korean military personnel are in Russia, Putin replied: “The images are a serious matter. If there are pictures, they reflect something.” He recalled that the State Duma of the Russian Federation ratified the strategic partnership agreement with North Korea, noting that Moscow “never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously.”