"The number of killed and wounded North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region exceeds 3,000," wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on his official Telegram account. He also stated that there is a risk that North Korea will send additional soldiers and military equipment to the Russian army in the Kursk region.

The North Korean army is one of the world’s largest.​ As it joins Russia’s war against Ukraine, its soldiers are paying a price for Kim Jong-un’s geopolitical maneuvers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Monday that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured while fighting for Russia in the western Kursk region. The revelation came after a briefing from General Oleksandr Syrskyi,

North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were given fake military documents with Russian names and birthplaces, the Ukrainian military said, amid claims from Kyiv that Russia is trying to conceal the presence of foreign fighters on the battlefield.

While some Western officials initially viewed the arrival of North Korean soldiers in Russia as evidence of the Kremlin’s desperation, U.S. agencies now reportedly believe the idea was North Korea’s initiative,

North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops and weapons, including kamikaze drones, to aid Russia in its full-scale war against Ukraine, the South Korean military said on Dec. 23.

South Korea's military has said that North Korea is preparing to continue aiding Russia in its war with Ukraine, despite casualties.