North Korean soldiers previously fighting alongside Russia's army on the Kursk front line appear not to have been engaged in combat since mid-January, South Korea's spy agency told AFP on Tuesday, after Ukraine claimed they had been withdrawn following heavy losses.

North Korean troops have not been seen on the frontlines in Russia’s Kursk region for several weeks, a Ukrainian military official said Friday, amid reports of mass casualties among Pyongyang’s forces.

North Korean troops have not been fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast since mid-January, the Yonhap news agency reported on Feb. 4, citing South Korea's intelligence agency. This comes as another confirmation that the originally 11,

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.

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

One Ukrainian special forces soldier shares details of how his team captured the North Korean, giving an insight into the North Korean mindset.