A “significant number” of North Korean soldiers have participated in assaults on Ukrainian forces and have suffered heavy losses, according to Kyiv, days after Russian war bloggers claimed DPRK special forces had recaptured a village in Kursk.

Ukrainian military units have also released footage allegedly documenting clashes with North Korean troops, amid signs that Russia is starting to use DPRK soldiers in more prominent combat roles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video on Saturday that a “significant number” of North Korean soldiers have joined Russian assaults against Kyiv’s forces, citing “preliminary data.”

The North Koreans are deployed as