KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and wounded in Russia鈥檚 Kursk region and warned that Pyongyang could send more personnel and equipment for Moscow鈥檚 army.
鈥淭here are risks of North Korea sending additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army,鈥� Zelensky said on X after receiving a report from his top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.
鈥淲e will have tangible responses to this,鈥� he added.
The estimate of North Korean losses is higher than that provided by Seoul鈥檚 Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), which said on Monday at least 1,100 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded.
The assessment was in line with a briefing last week by South Korea鈥檚 spy agency, which reported some 100 deaths with another 1,000 wounded in the region.
Zelensky said he cited preliminary data. Reuters could not independently verify reports on combat losses.
Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Koreans on its side. Pyongyang initially dismissed reports about the troop deployment as 鈥渇ake news,鈥� but a North Korean official has said any such deployment would be lawful.
According to Ukrainian and allied assessments, North Korea has sent around 12,000 troops to Russia.
Some of them have been deployed for combat in Russia鈥檚 Kursk region, where Ukraine still holds a chunk of land after a major cross-border incursion in August.
JCS added that it has
detected signs
of Pyongyang planning to produce suicide drones to be shipped to Russia, in addition to the already supplied 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers.
Kyiv continues to press allies for a tougher response as it says Moscow鈥檚 and Pyongyang鈥檚 transfer of warfare experience and military technologies constitute a global threat.
鈥淔or the world, the cost of restoring stability is always much higher than the cost of effectively pressuring those who destabilize the situation and destroy lives,鈥� Zelensky said.