Multiple defectors from North Korea spoke to NBC News about the mindset of soldiers sent to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

A thousand North Korean troops who have been fighting in the Kursk region of Russia have been killed in Vladimir Putin ’s war with Ukraine, officials have said. Western officials have told the BBC that 36 per cent of North Korean forces fighting in Russia had been killed, injured or captured by mid-January.

Out of the estimated 11,000 North Korean troops deployed in support of Russia's war against Ukraine, 4,000 have been killed, wounded, missing or captured, BBC reported, citing unnamed Western officials. Of the total North Korean casualties, around 1,000 are believed to have been killed by mid-January, it said.

SEOUL -- One of the two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine this month has claimed that he arrived in Russia without knowing whom he would be fighting, according to another video of his interrogation released by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive in early August and claimed to have taken control of several hundred square kilometers in the Kursk region

KYIV: A wounded North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine in Russia's Kursk region has told interrogators that Pyongyang's troops fighting for Moscow are suffering serious losses, official video published on Monday (Jan 20) showed.

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.

Ukraine’s new enemies are learning on the battlefield but have fatal orders to follow to avoid capture, says Kyiv.

The South Korean military reports on North Korea's plans to send additional troops to Russia, attributing this decision to numerous casualties. North Korea is preparing to reinforce its military presence in Russia.

The South Korean military reports on North Korea's plans to send additional troops to Russia, a response attributed to numerous casualties. North Korea is preparing to dispatch more military units to Russia.

At first glance, the downfall of conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol might appear to offer North Korean state media czars a propaganda windfall. But, so far, Pyongyang’s coverage of the crisis has been remarkably scant.