On Friday, the Ukrainian particular forces spokesman informed the BBC he was solely referring to areas within the Kursk area the place his forces have been preventing.
The spokesman didn’t say how lengthy that front line was.
And whereas this isn’t the total image, it does counsel important North Korean casualties.
Individually, the New York Instances additionally reported that the North Koreans had been pulled off the front traces.
The newspaper quoted US officers as saying the withdrawal may not be a everlasting one, and the troopers might return after receiving extra coaching or after the Russians give you new methods of deploying them to keep away from such heavy casualties.
Stories attributed to South Korean intelligence say the North Koreans are unprepared for the realities of recent warfare, and are particularly weak to being focused by Ukrainian drones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s chief Kim Jong Un have in current months deepened bilateral ties, signing a safety and defence treaty.
Pyongyang’s help to Moscow now additionally extends to massive quantities of ammunition and weapons.
Final August, elite Ukrainian troops launched a lightning offensive in Kursk, seizing greater than 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of Russian territory.
Since then, Russian forces have managed to retake a sizeable chunk of that area.
Kyiv’s shock incursion was aimed toward altering the dynamics of the conflict.
It was initially hoped the operation would relieve stress on different components of the greater than 1,000km-long (620 miles) frontline, notably in jap Ukraine.
Moscow is constant its relentless – albeit sluggish – advance within the east, seizing plenty of settlements within the Donetsk area in current weeks.
Now Kyiv is seeking to maintain on to the land it occupies in Kursk as leverage for any potential ceasefire or peace negotiations with Moscow.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.