A Ukrainian missile and artillery strike on a Russian command post in Kursk Oblast has killed dozens of Russian and North Korean officers, President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Associated Press on February 2.
Ukraine’s Targeted Strike
The attack, which reportedly took place on January 31, targeted the command post of Russia's Kursk group of forces in the city of Rylsk.
“There was a strong operation by our military — they hit their central command post in the Kursk direction. And they lost key officers of Russia and North Korea," Zelensky said.
Describing the operation as a "fair military target," Zelensky noted that Ukraine launched a complex attack using missiles and other weapons.
North Korean Troops in Russia
Zelensky also claimed that Russia had deployed around 12,000 North Korean troops to Kursk Oblast, with more than 4,000 casualties reported so far.
"They lost the combat capability of this first package of North Koreans. I can't call them anything else because it's a package — they don't know where they're going, and they're fighting against a country they've never been to," Zelensky said.
The Kyiv Independent has not been able to independently verify these claims.
North Korean Troops Pulled from Front Lines
Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in August 2024, capturing around 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory. While Ukraine has since lost about half of that area, the fighting continues. Kyiv hopes to use its presence in Kursk as leverage in future peace negotiations.
Last fall, North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast to reinforce Russian forces. However, Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, stated that North Korean troops have not been seen on the front lines for the past three weeks.
The comment follows reports from undisclosed Ukrainian and U.S. officials, who told The New York Times that North Korean soldiers had been withdrawn from combat after suffering heavy losses.
