Russian forces currently do not have the capability to fully drive Ukrainian units out of Kursk Oblast, says Serhii Zgurets, the chief of Defense Express company, according to Espreso.
In 2024, Ukrainian forces began an incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, with the operation still ongoing. They captured around 1,250 square kilometers of territory, ruining myths of Russian borders’ invincibility. In response, Russia launched a “counter-terrorist operation,” deploying additional troops and air support to repel the incursion. Russia also resorted to using North Korean troops for assistance, with North Korea sending approximately 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers to Kursk Oblast in November 2024.
“After the fourth wave of the offensive in Kursk Oblast, which ended the week before last, the enemy is now regrouping its forces. Attempts by the Russians to push our forces back have been unsuccessful,” explained Zgurets.
He also mentioned reports in several foreign publications suggesting that Russian forces withdrew their North Korean troops from Kursk Oblast.
Earlier, The New York Times reported that North Korean soldiers were not seen at the front for several weeks.
On 31 January, Head of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Reserve Council Ivan Tymochko said that North Korean troops that survived Ukrainian attacks in Kursk were reportedly sharing their battlefield experience with new soldiers. He warned against assuming that North Korean soldiers were permanently withdrawn from Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Russia and North Korea have signed a comprehensive support and cooperation agreement, and now more troops will be brought in,” stated Tymochko.
Meanwhile, Zgurets added that during a meeting with Associated Press journalists, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 12,000 North Korean soldiers had been deployed in Kursk Oblast, with 4,000 of them either killed or dead. Such a number indicates a significant reduction in the North Koreans’ operational capacity.
“On the night of 30-31 January, strikes targeted Russian army command posts, including in Kursk Oblast near the Rylsk city. Zelenskyy also mentioned in the AP interview that a large number of both Russian and North Korean officers were killed in this strike on the command post.
In any case, it is clear that the enemy, as I understand it, does not have the strength or capability to completely displace Ukrainian units from Kursk. The fighting continues and, I believe, will persist for some time,” Zgurets concluded.
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Previously, Forbes reported that Ukrainian soldiers of the 225th Assault Battalion set a trap for Russian forces in Kursk Oblast and destroyed them with High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
The report explained that this ambush, which resulted from careful coordination between the battalion’s headquarters, forward units, and a neighboring artillery brigade, sheds light on the substantial losses among Russian and North Korean troops.
Related:
- Russia caught presenting own Kursk losses as Ukrainian defeats, OSINT analysis shows
- Ukraine’s Kursk operation signals hope for more victories, says Syrskyi
- North Korean soldier refuses to drop sausage during capture in Kursk
- “My apartment is fully destroyed“: Russia launched 165 air targets on Ukrainian cities
