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.

Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov said media reports that those troops have not been seen on the front lines there in weeks are “wrong.” There are still about 8,000 North Koreans battling Ukraine on the front lines in Kursk,

Ukraine believes North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia's army on the Kursk front line have been "withdrawn" after suffering heavy losses, a military spokesman told AFP on Friday.

The soldiers appear to have been pulled back from the front lines in Kursk after suffering heavy casualties during barely a month of combat, Ukrainian officials said.

North Korean forces have been pulled off the frontlines in the Kursk region after suffering heavy losses in combat, The New York Times reports. According to Ukrainian and US officials, North Korean soldiers who had been fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukraine were withdrawn after sustaining significant casualties.