Zelenskyy stated final month that 11,000 North Korean troops have been in Russia’s western Kursk area and had already sustained “losses”.
Washington and Seoul have accused Pyongyang of sending greater than 10,000 troopers to assist Moscow, after Russia and North Korea signed a landmark defence pact this summer season.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened their army ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Taken abruptly by the Kursk incursion, Russia has since steadily clawed again territory, halting Ukraine’s advance and speeding reinforcements to the area.
A Ukrainian military supply advised AFP final month Kyiv nonetheless managed 800 sq. kilometres of the Kursk area, down from earlier claims it managed virtually 1,400 sq. kilometres.