Ukrainian intelligence said at least 30 North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia have been killed or wounded in the western Russian region of Kursk, the first time Kyiv has given such a detailed report on North Korean losses since Pyongyang sent troops to help Moscow.
The remarks were partially backed up by the Pentagon, with a spokesman on December 16 saying Washington has indications that North Korean troops have fought alongside Russian forces in Kursk and that some have been killed or injured, without speculating on numbers.
"We do assess that North Korean soldiers have engaged in combat in Kursk...we do have indications that they have suffered casualties, both killed and wounded," Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told reporters in Washington.
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The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian military (HUR) said in a statement on December 16 that North Korean units had suffered "significant losses" near the villages of Martynovka, Plekhovo, and Vorozhba.
On December 15, Skhemy (Schemes), an investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, received photos from Ukrainian military sources purportedly showing the bodies of dead soldiers in Kursk, including what was said to be North Korean fighters.
RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the claim. Russia has not commented on the report.
Separately, the United States and nine other Western allies on December 16 issued a statement condemning “in the strongest possible terms” the increasing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Direct North Korean “support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine marks a dangerous expansion of the conflict, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security,” it said.
The statement was signed by the U.S. secretary of state along with the foreign ministers of Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand, as well as the high representative of the European Union.
Washington on December 16 also hit Russia and North Korea with new sanctions that the Treasury Department said targeted Pyongyang's financial activities and military support for the Kremlin, echoing similar moves made by the EU earlier in the day.
The sanctions target North Korean banks, generals, and others, along with Russian oil shipping companies.
“Since October, [North Korea] has supplied Russia with more than 11,000 troops -- which are now training for deployment against Ukraine -- and sent significant quantities of missiles and ammunition to the Russian military to replenish its dwindling stockpiles,” the Treasury said.
Ukrainian troops began their incursion into the Kursk region in August and still control some areas. Russia began deploying thousands of North Korean troops in the region in October.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on December 14 that Moscow had started involving more North Korean troops in an effort to push back Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
SEE ALSO: 'They're Totally Not Ready': Ex-Soldier Reveals Why North Korean Troops Will Struggle Against UkraineWith estimates by some analysts saying Russian casualties exceed 600,000 and President Vladimir Putin looking to avoid a politically unpopular second mass mobilization, reports suggest more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers are in southwestern Russia.
Meanwhile, an informed source at Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service that Kyiv used drones last week to target and destroy a Russian ammunition depot in the village of Markyne in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Russia launched 49 Shahed-type drones against Ukraine in the early hours of December 16, Kyiv said. It added that 27 were shot down but it lost track of 19. Three remained in Ukrainian air space.
The Ukrainian military said none of the drones made impact and there were no reports of damages or casualties.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on December 16 that both Zelenskiy and Putin must be prepared to “make a deal” to end the “horrible” war in Ukraine.
“He should be prepared to make a deal, that’s all,” Trump said of Zelenskiy during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Putin must also "make a deal," Trump then added.
“Got to be a deal. Too many people being killed,” he said.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, said he would speak with Zelenskiy and Putin on ways to end the war, but he did not answer directly when asked if Ukraine would be forced to cede territory to Russia.