Key Metrics
14.85
Heat Index-
Impact LevelMedium
-
Scope LevelRegional
-
Last Update2025-08-20
Key Impacts
Positive Impacts (3)
Negative Impacts (2)
Event Overview
North Korea has suffered more than 6,000 casualties during offensive operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast, as reported by UK defense intelligence on June 15, 2025. The losses represent over half of the 11,000 North Korean troops deployed to the region since fall 2024. The high attrition rate is due to large dismounted assaults. Additional troops have been sent to compensate. North Korea has allied with Russia, supplying military support in exchange for resources and technology. Ukraine's incursion into Kursk in August 2024 aimed to disrupt Russian plans, with Russia countering in March 2025. North Korea also plans to send 5,000 construction workers and 1,000 deminers to Kursk, drawing international condemnation.
Collect Records
North Korea Suffers Over 6,000 Casualties in Russia's Kursk Oblast, UK Intelligence Reports
North Korea has suffered more than 6,000 casualties during offensive operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast, according to a June 15, 2025, report from the United Kingdom's defense intelligence. The losses account for over half of the approximately 11,000 North Korean troops initially deployed to the region in the fall of 2024. The high casualty rate is attributed to large, highly attritional dismounted assaults. Open-source intelligence reports suggest that small numbers of additional North Korean troops have been deployed to compensate for the losses. Earlier this year, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea transferred approximately 3,000 additional soldiers to Russia in January and February 2025.
North Korea has emerged as a key military ally of Russia during its invasion of Ukraine, supplying Moscow with artillery shells, missiles, and soldiers in exchange for oil products and advanced military technology, such as ballistic missile upgrades. In April 2025, Russia confirmed for the first time that North Korean forces were fighting alongside Russian troops in Kursk, although their involvement reportedly began in the fall of 2024.
Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the first large-scale invasion of Russian territory by foreign forces since World War II. The operation aimed to disrupt a planned Russian offensive on the neighboring Sumy Oblast and draw Russian forces away from the embattled Donbas region. Russia launched a counteroffensive in early March 2025, forcing Ukraine to retreat from much of the initially captured territory.
On June 4, 2025, Russian Security Council Secretary and former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea for the second time in three months to meet with leader Kim Jong Un. UK intelligence believes Shoigu is the Kremlin's lead negotiator for securing military support from Pyongyang. As of mid-June, North Korean operations remain limited to Kursk Oblast, with any expansion into internationally recognized Ukrainian territory requiring approval from both Putin and Kim.
In related developments, North Korea plans to send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 deminers to Kursk, as announced by Shoigu during his June 17 meeting with Kim. South Korea and Japan have condemned the move, calling it a violation of UN sanctions.