NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte reported that Russia has sustained over 600,000 military casualties since the start of its invasion of Ukraine. The losses prompted Moscow to deploy 10,000 North Korean troops to support its forces.
“The deployment of North Korean troops to Kursk is also a sign of Putin’s growing desperation,” Rutte said. “Over 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war, and he is unable to sustain his assault on Ukraine without foreign support.”
He described the move as a “significant escalation” and a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Western intelligence, alongside Ukrainian and South Korean sources, tracked North Korea’s growing involvement. Ukraine first noted the presence of North Korean soldiers after a counterattack in Russian-held territory earlier this month, identifying North Korean casualties among the dead.
Reports indicate that North Korea has transported its personnel using civilian vehicles to avoid detection by Ukrainian and Western intelligence.
South Korean intelligence officials reported that North Korea plans to send additional personnel to aid Russian forces as Moscow faces persistent manpower shortfalls. North Korea has also reportedly supplied Russia with significant amounts of ammunition and missiles for use in Ukraine.
U.S. defense officials noted that the Pentagon would not impose limitations on the use of American-supplied weapons against North Korean soldiers assisting Russia. Analysts at the U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have suggested that Russia’s economic and manpower limitations are pressuring Moscow to explore unconventional methods of recruitment and sustainment for its campaign in Ukraine.
NATO’s casualty figure aligns with recent estimates from the Pentagon and Ukrainian sources, placing Russian combat losses at over 654,000 as of early October.
Reports indicate that many of those killed or wounded come from Russian regions with large ethnic minority populations, including Bashkortostan and Tatarstan.
