North Korean troops have been withdrawn from the frontline in Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine war, according to British military intelligence chiefs.
Pyongyang is believed to have sent some 11,000 soldiers to help Putin’s army recapture a swathe of the Kursk region of Russia which Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise attack last summer.
The Russian military has been gradually gaining ground in the attempt to force Ukrainian units out of Kursk.
In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “In Russia’s Kursk oblast (province), Russia made minor advances in January 2025.
“Democratic People’s Republic of Korea units which had been deployed on offensive combat operations in Kursk Oblast have temporarily withdrawn from frontline positions, likely to rest and refit before redeploying.
“This is almost certainly primarily due to heavy losses sustained during attacks against Ukrainian-held positions.”
Russian army chiefs were said to have delayed sending North Korean troops into battle when they arrived as they were so poorly trained.
Some of them are believed to have thought they were going on a training exercise rather than being sent to war, with a few having been captured by Ukraine.
Ahead of Donald Trump becoming US president in January, Putin is seen to have tried to grab as much land in Ukraine before possible talks to end the conflict, even if it meant suffering heavy losses for his army.
But Russian forces are now said to be making slower advances in eastern Ukraine.
The MoD update added: “In January 2025, Russia’s territorial advances in Ukraine slowed as they took approximately 320 sq km, compared with approximately 400 sq km in December 2024.
“Russia seized control of the stronghold of Velyka Novosilka, but advances along most of the frontline have been relatively minor.
“Through 2024, Russian advances had been accelerating, with over 700 sq km taken in November 2024, one of the quickest rates of advance since the early stages of the conflict.”
Britain, the US, Ukraine and its allies are fighting an information war against Russia so their briefings need to be treated with caution but are more believable than the propaganda put out by the Kremlin.
Russian troops took control of the village of Druzhba in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the TASS state news agency reported on Friday,
Three people were killed in a Russian guided bomb attack on Ukraine’s northeastern region of Sumy, Ukrainian authorities said.
The attack late on Thursday with three guided aerial bombs destroyed a residential building in the village of Myropillya, the Prosecutor General’s office said.
Ukraine’s military said on Friday that it shot down 81 out of 112 drones launched by Russia overnight to attack the country.
Out of the total number launched, 31 drones did not reach their targets likely due to electronic warfare, the military added
