North Korean forces fighting alongside Russian troops in Kursk Oblast may have suffered significant casualties during an attack on the village of Plekhove on Saturday. According to Ukrainian sources, including journalist Andriy Tsaplienko and local government officials, the North Korean units potentially lost up to 4% of their total strength in a single engagement, Forbes reports.

North Korean troops appear to be attacking with large infantry groups, involving dozens of soldiers in each attack wave. With little mechanized support and suffering heavy casualties, these assault groups managed to achieve tactical gains with a large number of troops.

The attack, reportedly carried out by elements of North Korea’s 92nd and 94th Separate Special Operations Brigades, eventually succeeded in capturing Plekhove from its Ukrainian defenders in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. However, the victory came at a heavy cost. Ukrainian sources suggest that up to half of the approximately 500 North Korean troops involved in the assault became casualties.

According to Tsaplienko’s reporting, supported by video evidence, the North Korean forces conducted their attack in broad daylight, advancing on foot across open fields. Ukrainian defenders reported that the North Korean soldiers attacked “en masse” or “in a crowd,” making them vulnerable to Ukrainian drones and artillery fire.

The battle took place along the eastern edge of a 250-square-mile salient that Ukrainian forces established in Kursk Oblast in August. The Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies noted that some details of the engagement are still being verified.

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