The losses are significant. When will the Ukrainian Armed Forces completely eliminate the North Korean troops fighting for Russia?

In the Kursk region, 12,000 soldiers from North Korea are fighting on the side of Russia, and they have already started to be captured. If their loss dynamics remains at the current level, by mid-April, all of them could either be killed or injured in combat.

This conclusion was reached by analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW). They recalled a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, indicating that as of early January, 3,800 North Korean military personnel had been killed or wounded in the Kursk region.

Analysts also considered a statement from Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov made on November 5, 2024, that North Korean troops were involved in "small" clashes in the Kursk region. However, the ISW added that in early December, Russian military bloggers began to report that North Korean forces were participating in more extensive combat operations in the area.

Taking all these claims into account, the ISW calculated the daily losses of North Korean troops since they began significant fighting in early December. According to their estimates, the North Korean contingent loses about 92 soldiers daily.

Based on the fact that North Korea has deployed around 12,000 military personnel to the Kursk region, analysts suggested that the entire North Korean contingent could be killed or wounded in approximately 12 weeks (by mid-April 2025). This calculation will hold true if the North Korean troops continue to suffer such significant losses.

"North Korean forces are likely to continue having a higher ratio of wounded to killed, which is typical in armed conflicts. It is unclear whether wounded North Korean soldiers will return to duty, and if so, when exactly,” the ISW added.

Earlier, "Telegraph" reported that one of the captured North Korean soldiers stated that North Korean troops have high morale and a desire to engage in combat on the side of Russia. None of them refused to carry out combat orders. Significant losses among KPA soldiers do not impact their morale, said Lee Chen Nam.