A senior US official says an estimated more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured in the western Russian region of Kursk in the past week alone.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby spoke to reporters online on Friday.
He said the US government assesses North Korean forces to be conducting massed, dismounted assaults against Ukrainian positions in Kursk, and that these “human wave” tactics “haven’t really been all that effective.”
He said the attacks have likely resulted in heavy casualties for the North Korean forces, with more than 1,000 troops killed or wounded in the past week.
Kirby also said Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as expendable and ordering them on hopeless missions against Ukrainian defenses.
He referred to reports of North Korean soldiers taking their own lives rather than surrendering to Ukrainian forces, likely out of fear of reprisal against their families in North Korea in the event they are captured.
Kirby also said the US government will announce a plan to send additional military assistance to Ukraine in the next couple of days.
