U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Vitaker stated that the participation of North Korean military forces in combat alongside Russia will not be a decisive factor in the war against Ukraine. In his opinion, it merely underscores the weakening of the Russian Federation’s position on the front lines.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Military Involvement of North Korea: Scale and Losses
According to the National Intelligence Service of South Korea (NIS), since October 2024, North Korea has sent approximately 13,000 military personnel to Russia. The majority of these forces have been concentrated in the Kursk region, where fighting involving Ukrainian units occurred in August 2024. It is known that several North Koreans have been captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Casualties among North Korean personnel have been significant. According to British intelligence estimates, North Korean troops have lost over 6,000 personnel in battles in the Kursk region, which constitutes more than half of the initially deployed contingent of 11,000 soldiers. NIS reports that Pyongyang has acknowledged the death of 350 of its military personnel, although intelligence suggests that the total losses amount to around two thousand individuals.
North Korea’s Plans and the West’s Reaction
In early September 2025, NIS recorded plans for North Korea to send an additional 6,000 soldiers to Russia as part of a third wave of deployment. Approximately 1,000 military engineers from North Korea have already arrived in Russia to participate in combat operations.
Matthew Vitaker emphasized that the involvement of North Korean military personnel will not lead to a significant change in the balance of power on the front:
“The more we see North Korea in the war or on the battlefield, the more it will be just another testament to Russia’s weakness in the war against Ukraine.”
Vitaker noted that Russia is offering its military significant monetary rewards, including bonuses for recruitment and payments in the event of death; however, the presence of additional forces, including North Korean soldiers, only partially strengthens its position.
The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) highlighted in its July report that Russia and North Korea are attempting to use covert mechanisms, including labor migration, to recruit North Korean citizens into the ranks of the Russian army.