The Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on Russia's and North Korea's losses during the Kursk operation over the past six months.

The Kursk operation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces has been ongoing for six months. During this time, Russia has already lost 40,000 soldiers.

This information is reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The operation of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region began on August 6, 2024. The General Staff notes that for the first time in 11 years of war, combat actions have shifted to Russian territory. Ukrainian forces are holding hundreds of square kilometers of a "buffer zone" in the Russian Federation.

"The Kursk offensive operation aimed to prevent a new enemy advance in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. This operation continues to fulfill that function even after six months. The operation has forced Russian occupiers to redeploy significant resources to the Kursk region, weakening their positions on other fronts," the statement reads.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, North Korea has sent 12,000 troops to the Kursk region. North Korean troop losses amount to 4,000 personnel. Out of three conditional brigades from the DPRK, one has been effectively destroyed, and two have lost combat capability.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed media reports that units from North Korea have been withdrawn from the front line.

Casualties for Russia over six months of the Kursk operation:

• 39,900 personnel, including about 16,100 killed,
• 131 tanks,
• 689 armored fighting vehicles,
• 386 artillery systems,
• 12 multiple launch rocket systems,
• 12 air defense systems,
• 1 aircraft,
• 3 helicopters,
• 931 operational-tactical drones,
• 1,164 units of automotive equipment,
• 34 units of special equipment.

During the operation, Ukrainian forces captured 909 Russian soldiers, significantly boosting the exchange fund. This has allowed for the return of hundreds of Ukrainian defenders from Russian captivity.

"The Kursk offensive operation remains an example of sudden asymmetric and successful actions by the Ukrainian Defense Forces, which inflict significant losses on a superior enemy and seize the initiative on the battlefield," the General Staff added.

Kursk Operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

It is worth noting that in the summer of 2024, after the operation began, the Defense Forces gained control over about a hundred settlements in the Kursk region. As a result of the offensive actions by Russia, Ukrainian forces lost some territories, but active combat continues.

Moreover, Moscow has also engaged North Korea in combat operations in the Kursk region. The Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to capture two North Korean soldiers.

Western media reported that after significant losses, North Korean troops were withdrawn from the front line. However, the head of the GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, denied this information.