Summary
North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region have been withdrawn from the front lines after suffering heavy losses, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
Estimates suggest 4,000 of the 11,000 deployed soldiers have been killed, wounded, or gone missing.
Despite being elite forces, they were used as foot soldiers, making them vulnerable.
Russia expects reinforcements from North Korea within two months.
Pyongyang has also supplied Russia with weapons, reportedly in exchange for military and diplomatic support from Moscow.
They were never on the front lines because of any kind of advantage they might provide, Putin used them as bullet sponges to drain Ukrainian ammo.