Kyrylo Budanov states 8,000 North Korean troops remain active in Russia’s Kursk region, contrary to claims of their withdrawal amid combat losses.

SEOUL: North Korean soldiers previously fighting alongside Russia's army on the Kursk front line appear not to have been engaged in combat since mid-January, South Korea's spy agency told AFP on Tuesday (Feb 4),

Ukraine believes North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia's army on the Kursk front line have been "withdrawn" after suffering heavy losses, a military spokesman told AFP on Friday.

North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia's army in the Kursk region appear to have suspended combat operations last month, South Korea's spy agency told AFP Tuesday, coming after Ukraine claimed the soldiers had been pulled from the front line after facing heavy losses.

The reason for this is believed to be heavy casualties, “but the exact details are still being monitored," the NIS said. Earlier media reports stated that about a thousand North Korean soldiers may have been killed in Kursk Oblast by mid-January 2025.