Kyiv launches ‘last resort counteroffensive’ in Kursk amid heavy North Korea losses - Ukrainian and Western sources estimate about 11,000 North Korean troops are stationed in Kursk
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Russia intends to share its advanced space and satellite technology with North Korea, in exchange for the North's provision of weapons and other equipment to Moscow in support of its war against Ukraine.
Russia developed offensive plans targeting civilian and military sites in Japan and South Korea in the event of a war with NATO, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 31, citing documents shown to the outlet by Western sources.
South Korea's military has said that North Korea is preparing to continue aiding Russia in its war with Ukraine, despite casualties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said there have been over 3,000 North Korean casualties in Kursk. South Korea reported over 1,000 casualties last week. Newsweek has not verified either figure. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow has acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
Leaked Russian military documents reveal plans to target civilian infrastructure like nuclear power plants and tunnels, raising concerns about potential war crimes.
Despite their elite status, North Korea's "Storm" troops were ill-prepared for the war, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said.
Ukrainian special forces have released several excerpts from a purported diary it said was found on a North Korean soldier killed in front-line fighting in Russia.
"Through various sources of information and intelligence, we assess that North Korean troops who have recently engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces have suffered around 1,100 casualties," the JCS said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Monday more than 3,000 troops from North Korea have been killed so far fighting next to Russian forces.
Russia has trained its troops for a potential attack on Japan and South Korea, according to a report by the Financial Times. The British outlet reviewed 29 Russian military documents and uncovered a strategy devised by Moscow to target the two Asian nations.