**North Korea Sends More Troops to Russia**
The South Korean intelligence agency says North Korea has sent more soldiers to Russia and moved others to the front line in the Kursk region. The exact number of extra troops is unknown, but officials believe it’s at least 1,000.
This comes after reports that North Korea had suffered heavy losses since its troops were first deployed to help Russia fight Ukraine four months ago. In January, Western officials said they believed over a thousand of the 11,000 North Korean troops sent had been killed in just three months.
**Troops Re-Deployed to Front Line**
The South Korean intelligence agency also reported that North Korean troops already in Russia were re-deployed to the front line in Kursk at the start of February. Ukrainian special forces told the BBC earlier this year that they hadn’t seen any North Korean troops for weeks, but later confirmed they had returned.
**North Korea’s Military Efforts**
Reports have suggested that the North Korean soldiers were unprepared for modern warfare and vulnerable to Ukrainian drones. However, military experts who defected from North Korea or worked with its military say these claims are exaggerated.
**War Between Russia and Ukraine**
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, leading to heavy losses on both sides. While Ukraine initially made gains into the Russian Kursk region, they have since been pushed back due to the arrival of North Korean troops. Despite this, Ukraine still retains hundreds of square kilometers of Russian territory and is inflicting significant losses.
**Casualty Numbers**
Russia has not publicly released its battlefield casualties since September 2022, when it said over 5,900 soldiers had been killed. Ukraine’s president puts the country‘s military casualties at 45,100, but many experts believe this number is much higher.
Read More @ www.bbc.com