North Korean troops fighting for Russia have faced heavy losses in Ukraine's Kursk region. Western officials told the BBC that about 4,000 North Korean soldiers were hurt or killed in just three months.
These officials say Russia sent 11,000 North Korean troops to fight. By mid-January, around 1,000 of them died. No one knows where the injured soldiers are getting help.
Kim Jong Un sent these forces to help his friend Vladimir Putin take back land from Ukraine. Putin wants Ukrainian troops out of Russia before peace talks start later this year.
Ukraine moved into Russia's Kursk area last August. They caught Russian guards off guard. Ukraine said they took this land to use it in future peace deals.
North Korean soldiers came to Russia in October. They helped push Ukraine back. But Ukraine still holds some Russian land. They keep hitting the enemy hard.
The North Korean "Storm Corps" went to war with poor training. British expert Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon says Russian officers lead these troops. The soldiers don't understand their leaders. They face great danger with little chance to live.
South Korean spies say North Korean troops don't know modern war. Ukrainian drones hurt them badly. These drones have fought in Ukraine's Donbas area for years.
Yet Ukraine's leader, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, sees these troops as a big threat. He says they fight in large groups using old Soviet battle plans, relying on having many soldiers attack at once.
These officials say Russia sent 11,000 North Korean troops to fight. By mid-January, around 1,000 of them died. No one knows where the injured soldiers are getting help.
Kim Jong Un sent these forces to help his friend Vladimir Putin take back land from Ukraine. Putin wants Ukrainian troops out of Russia before peace talks start later this year.
Ukraine moved into Russia's Kursk area last August. They caught Russian guards off guard. Ukraine said they took this land to use it in future peace deals.
North Korean soldiers came to Russia in October. They helped push Ukraine back. But Ukraine still holds some Russian land. They keep hitting the enemy hard.
The North Korean "Storm Corps" went to war with poor training. British expert Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon says Russian officers lead these troops. The soldiers don't understand their leaders. They face great danger with little chance to live.
South Korean spies say North Korean troops don't know modern war. Ukrainian drones hurt them badly. These drones have fought in Ukraine's Donbas area for years.
Yet Ukraine's leader, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, sees these troops as a big threat. He says they fight in large groups using old Soviet battle plans, relying on having many soldiers attack at once.
