This would mark the first time that the Russian munitions carrier Maia-1, sanctioned by the U.S. and the EU, entered European waters, the Financial Times noted.
Key developments on Feb. 19: * Trump calls Zelensky 'dictator,' warns of Ukraine's demise without elections * Reported drone strike against Russian oil refinery in Samara Oblast causes fire * Ukraine refutes Putin's claims of Russian offensive from Kursk Oblast * North Korean troops in Russia reportedly told they're fighting South Korean forces
One of the captured North Korean soldiers admitted that he and his fellow soldiers believed they were fighting South Korean troops, which heightened their morale and aggression, South Korean newspaper Chosun Daily reported.
"Only three countries — Ukraine, Russia, and North Korea — are gaining direct experience in full-scale 21st-century warfare," Kyrylo Budanov said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Moscow lost nearly 20,000 soldiers in the battles for Russia's Kursk Oblast alone.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said the morale of Pyongyang's troops had been "broken" by the losses.
Key developments on Feb. 11: * Ukraine could trade territory in potential peace talks with Russia, Zelensky says * Ukraine strikes Russia's Saratov oil refinery, military confirms * US won't send troops to Ukraine, Pentagon chief says * North Korea has sent 200 long-range artillery guns to Russia, Seoul says * Ukrainian drones destroy Russian
Seoul further warned that Pyongyang is likely preparing to send additional troops and arms to back Russia's war in Ukraine, confirming earlier warnings by the Ukrainian intelligence.
Treatment for the Russian military in North Korea is provided free of charge in "the best hospitals and sanatoriums."
The move represents an apparent violation of U.N. resolutions prohibiting North Korea from sending its citizens to work overseas, which the Security Council passed after Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
North Korea is expected to begin drone production this year with Russian technical assistance, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Feb. 8, citing undisclosed sources.
"A significant number of occupiers have been eliminated, we are re talking hundreds of Russian and North Korean servicemen," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Kyiv is open to negotiating with South Korea over the possible transfer of captured North Korean soldiers, Ukrainian Ambassador to Seoul Dmytro Ponomarenko said in an interview with The Korea Times published on Feb. 5.
Analysts believe North Korea is using the battlefield as a testing ground for its missile technology, enhancing its weapons for future use.
The operation in Kursk Oblast may become an "important part" of future negotiations to end Russia's war, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Key developments on Feb. 4: * Nearly 8,000 North Korean soldiers still fighting in Kursk Oblast, Budanov says * Ukraine's strike on Russian command center in Kursk Oblast causes 'significant losses,' General Staff says * At least 5 killed, 55 injured in Russian missile strike on Izium in Kharkiv Oblast * Russia
Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov denied reports that North Korean soldiers have not been seen on the front line for weeks.
"Since mid-January, there have been no signs showing North Korean troops deployed to the Russian Kursk region engaging in battle," South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said, suggesting that heavy losses may have been one of the reasons for their withdrawal.
"It was our military target, a fair one. There was a missile attack from our side and various types of weapons; a complex attack was launched against them," President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Associated Press on Feb. 2.
In an interview with the Associated Press on Feb. 2, Zelensky added that while these countries had previously cooperated on weapons and technology, they are now openly engaged in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Key developments on Jan. 31: * North Korean troops not seen for 3 weeks in parts of Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s Special Forces say * Ukraine deploys long-range drone capable of 2,000 km strike, military says * Ukrainian drones strike "one of 10 largest oil refineries in Russia," military says * Russian missiles
"These are standard measures – rotation due to large casualties," a military intelligence source commented for the Kyiv Independent, confirming the reports.
Key developments on Jan. 27: * North Korean troops seem to temporarily withdraw from one section of front in Kursk Oblast, military says * Russia claims to capture Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine admits partial retreat but says battles ongoing * Russia intensifies attacks near Pokrovsk, seeks to encircle Ukrainian forces * Zelensky appoints Ground Forces
U.S. President Donald Trump needs to "understand where the threat is" and not "force Ukraine into a bad deal," U.K. lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith told the Kyiv Independent. In an interview in Kyiv alongside another U.K. lawmaker Layla Moran on Jan. 22, Duncan Smith urged Trump not
North Korean forces are taking respite from hostilities, presumably to treat the wounded, wait for reinforcements, and work on mistakes made during the fighting in this sector of the front, according to Sky News.
Kim Jong Un, who Trump lauded as a "smart guy," has become Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key ally in a war against Ukraine, providing ballistic missiles, artillery, and 12,000 troops.
North Korea is reportedly preparing to send more troops to Russia to fuel the war in Ukraine, even after significant losses, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported.
North Korea is expected to send reinforcements to Russia’s Kursk Oblast, mainly gun and rocket artillery units, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with The War Zone magazine published on Jan. 23.
Key developments on Jan. 22: * Ukraine's Special Forces say they killed 21 North Korean soldiers, show combat footage * Kyiv court arrests three senior officers accused of failed defense of Kharkiv Oblast * Russia lacks manpower for major breakthrough in Ukraine, top NATO general says * Russia issued ultimatum to Ukraine in 2022
Soldiers of the 8th Regiment of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces resisted an assault of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast for eight hours, killing 21 and wounding 40, the unit said on Jan. 22.
The POW said he arrived in Russia on a cargo ferry with over 100 other North Korean soldiers.
Editor's note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. It was a month-long mission with one primary goal — capturing a North Korean soldier alive. One of the biggest obstacles facing the Ukrainian forces tasked
