North Korean troops have not been seen on the frontlines in Russia’s Kursk region for several weeks, a Ukrainian military official said Friday, amid reports of mass casualties among Pyongyang’s forces.

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 troops were reportedly some of the best North Korea has to offer but Russians allegedly used them as foot soldiers – meaning they’ve been regularly shot down by Ukrainian

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Ukraine believes North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia's army on the Kursk front line have been "withdrawn" after suffering heavy losses, a military spokesman told AFP on Friday.

When Ukrainian soldiers captured two North Korean prisoners of war last month, it provided the first undeniable proof of Pyongyang’s direct involvement in the war against Ukraine

North Korean troops, largely special ops forces, have suffered high casualties in bloody assaults not unlike other units, including prison units.

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.