After significant losses on the front, North Korean military personnel were withdrawn for recovery, but since the first decade of February, they have been actively engaged again in battles in the Kursk region. This was reported by Vadym Skibitsky, Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
"Since mid-December 2024, they have been directly involved in combat operations. In the first phase, they suffered heavy losses. They were then withdrawn for recovery and rest. The losses were about 4,000 out of 11,000, which is a very significant number over this period. However, starting from the first decade of February, they began to be actively used again on the front in the Kursk region," Skibitsky said.
He added that the main task now is to gather information on whether additional forces will be sent or if it will simply be a rotation or replenishment of losses with other soldiers who will replace the killed and wounded.
A representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate noted that North Korean soldiers gained real combat experience with new technologies, new tactics, artillery combined with drones, extensive use of FPV drones, new electronic warfare tools, and new reconnaissance systems.
"This is a very powerful experience that very few countries in the world have: us, the Russians, and now North Korea, and that's it. Many of our partners are already requesting this experience," he emphasized.
In response to a question about whether North Korean soldiers have been spotted on other parts of the front, the Intelligence Agency representative stated:
"They have been directly observed only in the Kursk region. But we have already seen some weapon systems from North Korea, primarily the 170-mm artillery systems and multiple rocket launchers, on our territory. Are there instructors? Probably not, as the Russians have specially created a training center at an artillery school where Russian armed forces personnel are trained to use North Korean systems."
According to Skibitsky, intelligence has confirmed that North Korean military personnel have assisted and participated in planning strikes using ballistic missiles of their production, as this is a more complex system, but this was carried out from Russian territory.
The Main Intelligence Directorate representative was unable to say who initiated the involvement of North Korean military personnel in the war—Russia or North Korea—since both sides are interested in such cooperation for various reasons. He also mentioned that Ukrainian intelligence continues to track the supply of ammunition from North Korea to Russia.
"We are still tracking the supply of ammunition from North Korea to Russia. It is coming both by sea and by rail, then directed to arsenals closer to Ukraine (the Moscow region, the Southern Military District), and from there directly to the battlefield," said the intelligence representative.
