Russia is preparing to launch an offensive in Kursk Oblast with a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, the New York Times reported on Nov. 10, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
The attack will begin in the near future, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine launched the surprise offensive into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in August and is holding its positions although Russian forces have managed to reclaim around half of the territory.
Russia has amassed the 50,000 troops without pulling its soldiers out of the eastern front, according to a new U.S. assessment. The east of Ukraine remains the priority for Russia and it has made notable gains in southern Donetsk Oblast, and near Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Kupiansk.
Although managing to retake parts of Kursk Oblast with missile strikes and artillery fire, Russia has not yet launched a major assault there, a U.S. official told the New York Times.
The new force comes as Russia saw its heaviest losses last month and the North Korean troops could be replacing injured and killed Russian soldiers, according to some experts. U.K. Defence Staff Chief Admiral Anthony Radakin claimed Russia lost an average of 1,500 troops every day in October.
North Korean troops, who arrived in Russia last month, are likely to be directly involved in the Kursk Oblast operation. The troops have been divided into an assault unit and a support unit, according to a Ukrainian official.
They will be fighting as light infantry, leaving them vulnerable to Ukrainian artillery and drone attacks without the assistance of armored vehicles, the New York Times wrote.
Russian and North Korean soldiers are expected to take heavy losses as they battle Ukrainians in Kursk Oblast, U.S. officials believe.
North Korea has already deployed some 11,000 troops to Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 4.
Clashes between the Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers are currently underway, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Nov. 5.
North Korean troops have already suffered casualties, Zelensky confirmed on Nov. 7, without specifying the number.
The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova