Russian President Vladimir Putin (Image: Getty)
If current casualty rates continue, the whole of ‘s contingent in Kursk Oblast could be wiped out in just three months, analysts predict.
According to US-based thinktank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the estimated 12,000 troops deployed in the Russian region, which borders , could all be either dead or wounded by April, amid reports of heavy losses.
soldiers have reportedly been fighting in the region to help counter a surprise incursion by , which appeared to take Moscow off guard in August.
It’s thought , known officially as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), may not be able to sustain the considerable losses already suffered by its forces, as reported by .
In an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman this month, Ukrainian President claimed 3,800 North Korean soldiers had been killed or injured in Kursk.
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The wrote: “Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated on November 5, 2024, that North Korean forces were engaged in ‘small-scale’ clashes in Kursk Oblast, but Russian milbloggers began claiming on December 6 that North Korean forces were participating in more significant combat operations.”
Based on the figures provided by Zelensky, as well as these reports, the think tank theorised that North Korea has “therefore likely suffered roughly 92 casualties per day since starting to participate in significant fighting in early December 2024″, from which they extrapolated losses to predict a total wipe out.
Such losses would be a major blow to Russian President ‘s effort, given that is already said to be experiencing a manpower shortage amid heavy losses of their own.
Total battlefield losses are notoriously difficult to establish exactly, but reports suggest a staggering number of Russian soldiers have been killed.
In September said data it analysed indicated that 70,000 people fighting in ‘s military had been killed since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Both Kyiv and Moscow closely guard their own tallies, though in December, claimed almost 200,000 Russians had lost their lives in the conflict so far, whilst also providing the first official casualty totals for forces.
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A North Korean military parade in the capital of the hermit kingdom, Pyonyang. (Image: Getty)
“Since the beginning of the full-scale , has lost 43,000 soldiers who died on the battlefield,” as well as 370,000 wounded, said in a post on Telegram at the time.
“And this is taking into account that in our army approximately 50 percent of the wounded return to service, and all injuries are recorded, including minor and repeated ones,” he added.
“And let’s not forget we managed to return 3,767 warriors from Russian captivity,” added, as per .
Meanwhile, claimed at the time that updated data on Russian losses “exceed 750,000 of their people”.
“This is 198,000 Russians killed and more than 550,000 wounded,” the president said. Since September has been losing five or six troops for every Ukrainian soldier lost in battle,” he added.
has recently pushed back on claims its losses far outstrip that of , with Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov suggesting in Decemeber that Kyiv’s “exponentially surpass” those of Putin’s forces.
Moscow and Pyongyang, who have deepened their ties since the war began, are yet to comment on the ISW analysis, and have said little about reports of North Korean troops fighting in Kursk.