Pentagon reports "hundreds" of North Korean casualties in war against Ukraine – New York Times

The Pentagon believes that Ukrainian forces may have killed or wounded "hundreds" of soldiers sent by North Korea to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.

According to the The New York Times (NYT), a senior US Department of Defense official stated that Ukrainian forces had killed or wounded "hundreds" of North Korean soldiers sent to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The Pentagon's data indicates that Russia has gathered a combined force of 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops to drive Ukrainian forces out of bordering Kursk Oblast in Russia.

A Pentagon representative stated that the North Koreans were not battle-hardened and that Ukraine had struck their command posts as well as infantry positions.

North Korea and Russia have increased their cooperation since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The countries signed an agreement that obliges each party to provide immediate military aid to the other in the event of armed aggression against one of them.

Recently, the Ukrainian military released photos and videos of Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk Oblast after recent assaults.

Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that North Korean units had lost at least 30 soldiers killed and wounded.

Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder confirmed that North Korean troops had engaged in combat on Russia’s side for the first time in Kursk Oblast and suffered losses.

US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller recently stated that the US had no confirmation regarding the deployment of new North Korean units to Russia but does not rule out such a possibility.