UK intelligence: North Korean forces have suffered over 6,000 casualties in Russia's Kursk Oblast

Around half of the North Korean troops deployed to Russia's Kursk Oblast are believed to have been killed, wounded or listed as missing in action.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence update dated 15 June on X (Twitter)

Details: According to UK intelligence, losses of North Korean troops exceed 6,000 personnel.

Quote: "The total casualties amount to more than half of the approximately 11,000 DPRK troops initially deployed to the Kursk region."

More details: UK intelligence believes these heavy losses are likely the result of large, highly attritional infantry assaults.

The update also notes that on 4 June 2025, Russian Security Council Secretary and former defence minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea for the second time in three months to meet with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.

UK Defence Intelligence believes Shoigu is likely the Kremlin’s lead negotiator for securing military support from Pyongyang for the war against Ukraine.

UK intelligence noted that as of mid-June, North Korean operations remain limited to the operational zone in Kursk Oblast. Any expansion beyond Russian territory, particularly into internationally recognised Ukrainian territory, would almost certainly require agreement from both Putin and Kim Jong Un.

Background:

• In April, a South Korean MP cited intelligence reports indicating that around 600 North Korean troops had been killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine, particularly in combat operations in Kursk Oblast.
• In January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited different figures, saying that North Korean losses at the time amounted to roughly 4,000 troops killed and wounded.
• On 25 April, Ukraine’s General Staff reported that more than 4,500 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded since the start of the Kursk operation.

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