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Forbes: Up to 400 Russo-North Korean troops lost in single attack on Ukrainian positions in Kursk

A combined force of Russian paratroopers and North Korean infantry sustained devastating losses assaulting the contested Makhnovka village in western Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
byYuri Zoria
09/01/2025
2 minute read
forbes up 400 russo-north korean troops lost single attack ukrainian positions kursk russian casualties fpv drone strike near makhnovka russia's oblast combat footage published 8 2025 strikes russians combined force
Russian casualties from an FPV drone strike near Makhnovka, Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Screenshot from combat footage published on 8 January 2025.
Forbes: Up to 400 Russo-North Korean troops lost in single attack on Ukrainian positions in Kursk

A combined force of Russian and North Korean troops sustained approximately 400 casualties in a failed attempt to capture the village of Makhnovka in western Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Forbes reports.

The fighting took place in the contested area along the eastern edge of a 650-square-kilometer salient that Ukrainian forces established in Kursk in August. While the four-mile stretch between Makhnovka and Plekhove has seen less frequent clashes compared to other areas like Zelenyi Shylakh, individual battles in this sector have proven particularly costly for Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing information from Commander-in-Chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced on 4 January that “the Russian army lost up to a battalion of infantry, including North Korean soldiers and Russian paratroopers” in battles near Makhnovka.

Social media analyst Andrew Perpetua appeared to confirm these losses on 6 January, reporting visual confirmation of 408 casualties in a single day.

“I feel like I just watched a whole Russian battalion die in a single video,” Perpetua noted.

This recent setback follows a similar pattern to a previous engagement near Plekhove. Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko reported that on 14 December, North Korean forces suffered losses exceeding half their attacking force while attempting to capture the village from Ukrainian defenders.

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