[**Inter-Korea**](./news_list.htm?lang=e&id=IK)
Written: 2025-03-11 16:49:02Updated: 2025-03-11 17:20:04
Ukraine has confirmed that the North Korean military is playing an active role in Russia’s advance in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces are said to have been under pressure in recent days. Citing the Ukrainian government, NK News, a U.S. media outlet specializing in North Korea, reported on Monday that the North Korean military’s goal in aiding the Russian offensive in Kursk is to cut off the logistics supply and isolate Ukrainian soldiers. “The situation is difficult in Sumy and the Kursk region,” said Andriy Kovalenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council’s Countering Disinformation Center. He said North Korean forces are forming a line and advancing in earnest, adding that “they are actually running across the field.” The official’s comments come after reports that Ukrainian forces were on the defensive as the Russian military has reportedly deployed a significant number of North Korean troops to isolate Ukrainian forces and has been using drones to disrupt the Ukrainian supply network. An estimated 12,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia were put into combat against Ukrainian forces at the end of last year and withdrew briefly in January before being reorganized and put back into the field in early February.
The Ukrainian military blog Deepstate also reported that Ukraine lost control near the border “because of the deployment of a large number of North Korean troops, the main offensive forces.”