The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) forces have highly likely sustained more than 6,000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, russia, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
The total casualties amount to more than half of the approximately 11,000 DPRK troops initially deployed to Kursk region. Open-source reports suggest the DPRK has subsequently deployed limited numbers of additional troops to Kursk. Significant DPRK casualty rates have almost certainly been sustained primarily through large, highly attritional dismounted assaults.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence: Up to Half a Million russian Troops Are Dead, Missing, or Permanently Wounded
On June 4, 2025, russian Security Council Secretary and ex-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reportedly visited the DPRK for a meeting with Kim Jong Un, his second in less than three months. Sergei Shoigu has highly likely been a key interlocutor with the DPRK regarding support to russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The DPRK operations have thus far been confined to Kursk region. Any decision to deploy into internationally recognized, sovereign Ukrainian territory in support of russian forces, would almost certainly require sign-off from both russia's President Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un.
As Defense Express previously reported, the Armed Forces of russia have likely sustained approximately 1,000,000 casualties (killed and wounded) since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Of these, it is likely around 250,000 russian soldiers are killed or missing (presumed dead), russia's largest losses in an active war since the Second World War.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence Analyzes Why russia Returned to Consecutive Long-Range Aviation Strikes
