Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed North Korean troops had been redeployed to the Kursk region in western Russia following reports of massive troop losses.

North Korea sent its best troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine. But after months of suffering severe losses, they have been taken off the front line.

The spokesman did not say how long that front line was. And while this is not the full picture, it does suggest significant North Korean casualties. Separately, the New York Times also reported that the North Koreans had been pulled off the front lines.

North Korean troops, largely special ops forces, have suffered high casualties in bloody assaults not unlike other units, including prison units.

It also shed some light on the mindset and training of the conscripted North Korean soldiers sent to fight Russia’s war a continent away from their home. Highly disciplined, ready to die but also very young and with little battlefield experience they elicited curiosity and even some pity from the Ukrainian soldiers who captured them during two separate missions on Jan.

North Korean ballistic missiles have been striking targets in Ukraine with increasing accuracy in recent weeks compared to over the past year — suggesting the Hermit Kingdom is using the battlefield as a testing ground for its new tech.

A North Korean soldier captured fighting for Russia in Ukraine last month reportedly made just two requests to his captors - one for water and another for a cigarette