Ukraine War: Thousands of North Koreans killed – numbers rise dramatically

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have already been killed or injured in the war between Russia and Ukraine. This is “initial information” about North Koreans deployed in the Kursk region of Russia, which is occupied by Ukrainian troops, Zelenskyj wrote on Monday in the online service

Shortly before Zelensky’s information, the South Korean General Staff reported a significantly lower number of suspected wounded and killed North Korean soldiers. According to their estimates, “around 1,100” North Korean soldiers were affected, the army in Seoul said.

Zelensky and the South Korean army warned against an increase in North Korean troops to support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. There is also a risk that North Korea will supply Russia with further arms, explained the Ukrainian head of state. His country will react “noticeably” to this development.

According to the South Korean General Staff, Pyongyang is “preparing for the rotation or additional deployment” of soldiers in the ranks of the Russian army. Intelligence also suggested that nuclear-armed North Korea was producing and supplying kamikaze drones to Russia to further support Moscow in its war against Ukraine. Pyongyang also supplies the Russian army with rocket launchers and tank artillery.

Moscow had recently reinforced its armed forces with North Korean troops in the war of aggression against Ukraine. According to the US and South Korea, around 10,000 soldiers from North Korea are stationed in Russia. According to Ukrainian information, they are fighting alongside Russian troops in the Russian border region of Kursk, which is partly controlled by Kiev.

Russia and North Korea increased their military cooperation after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022. In June, both countries signed a defense pact, and in mid-October there were the first reports of North Korean soldiers being sent to Russia.

Zelenskyj attacks Fico

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky accused Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico of wanting to help Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin finance the war after his visit to Moscow. The EU heads of state and government have determined that Fico is opposed to reducing energy dependence on Russia, Zelenskyj explained on the online service X on Monday. This means “that he wants to help Putin earn money to finance the war and “to weaken Europe.”

“We believe that such support for Putin is immoral,” Zelensky further wrote. Fico was received by Putin in Moscow on Sunday. Fico explained afterwards that it was about future Russian gas deliveries to Slovakia. The meeting was “a reaction” to Zelensky’s opposition to the “transit of gas through Ukraine to our territory.”

EU and NATO member Slovakia is heavily dependent on Russian gas. The country expressed concerns that deliveries could be missed – a transit contract for Russian gas through Ukraine expires on December 31st. Kiev had announced that it did not want to extend the contract with Russia for the transport of Russian gas to Europe through Ukrainian pipelines.

Fico is one of the few European heads of government who still maintain close ties to Moscow. When he took over as prime minister again in 2023, he rejected further military aid to Kiev. Fico, like his Hungarian colleague Viktor Orban, is also committed to peace talks with Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia announced the capture of another town in eastern Ukraine. Russian troops have “liberated” the settlement of Storoshevoye in the Donetsk region, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said, using the Russian name for the village.

The Russian armed forces are advancing further and further in the Donetsk region against the Ukrainian troops, who are inferior in soldiers and equipment. Moscow is eager to secure as much territory as possible before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. The Republican is targeting cuts in billions in US aid for Kiev and could force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia. Moscow says it has captured more than 190 Ukrainian locations this year.