The Ukrainian brigade claims that the North Koreans “have disappeared” from its region

• A Ukrainian brigade says that she has not seen the North Koreans for some time in her part of the front in Kursk.
• It then happens that North Korea suddenly reduced its presence in the war after weeks of intense fighting.
• But we do not know what Pyongyang plans after contradictory withdrawal reports emerged.

A Ukrainian brigade from the Kursk region said that it had no longer met the North Korean troops, because questions remain on Pyongyang’s plans for the war front.

Petro Gaidashchuk, a superior communications officer for the 80th air assault brigade, said on Radio NV only if the North Korean troops were still reported elsewhere on the battlefield, they have “disappeared” from his brigade of the front.

“If we look at in January, the front was saturated with North Koreans, in particular in the field of responsibility of the Galician brigade,” Gaidashchuk in Ukrainian said in the interview published on Monday. The 80th is sometimes called the Galician brigade.

“For the moment, the reports of their presence are partly real,” said Gaidashchuk about North Koreans. “We have not observed them in our part of the front. Other brigades have interacted with them a few days ago. To date, they have disappeared.”

Gaidashchuk said his brigade had hypothesized that the North Korean soldiers had withdrawn due to heavy losses.

“They withdrew, we don’t know why,” he said.

Other reports in the last month, said the same thing: after weeks of attempted Ukrainian positions at Kursk, the North Korea forces have been relatively silent since the end of January.

A spokesperson for Ukraine special forces told local media at the time that his branch had not seen North Korean soldiers for weeks, saying that the Russian Allied troops had been “forced to withdraw “. The New York Times, quoting Ukrainian and American officials, reported similar observations the day before, writing that Pyongyang forces were “removed on the front line”.

The South Korea National Intelligence Agency also said in early February that the North Korean troops had been withdrawn from the fighting.

Western Intelligence estimates that around 11,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to combat Ukraine at the end of last year and that 4,000 was injured or killed since.

The British Defense Ministry said that losses have probably provoked the temporarily withdrawal from North Korea and rest and the pilting before redeployment. “

But the presence of Pyongyang in Kursk does not seem to have completely disappeared.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on February 7 that the North Korean troops had returned to the front lines in “new assaults” in Kursk, although this is not clear to what extent.

Addressing the war zone at the end of January, the Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, also said that the North Koreans had considerably reduced them to Kursk, but notified not to reject them as outside the photo.

“We have to wait a little time to see if there are real changes or if they are simply lower activities for a few days,” said Budanov.

He challenged information that the North Korean troops had completely withdrawn.

Zelenskyy Voices triumphs over Pyongyang

The uncertainty about the next decision of North Korea occurs while Pyongyang and Moscow strengthen their defense ties with the non-intellectual the international sanctions imposed on their economies.

The North Korean leader Kim Jong One sent troops, weapons and ammunition to Russia, Western intelligence reporting that he receives financial assistance, technological expertise and Russia’s food in exchange.

North Korea sending troops to Kursk aroused concerns in the West that the invasion of Russia has attracted the direct participation of other states. But it is not clear if Pyongyang’s intervention will increase as fearing or decreases.

More recently, Zelenskyy spoke triumphant Ukraine’s struggle against the North Korea forces on Saturday.

“We completely destroyed the North Korean units that Putin had to bring because his own forces were not enough to hold our counter-offensive,” he said in his speech at the Munich security conference.

However, he also warned of complacency with regard to Pyongyang.

“Make no mistake-the North Koreans are not weak,” he said. “They learn to fight now, to fight against modern war.”

The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comments sent by Business Insider outside regular work hours.