A combined force of Russian and North Korean troops sustained approximately 400 casualties in a failed attempt to capture the village of Makhnovka in western Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Forbes reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing information from Commander-in-Chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced on 4 January that “the Russian army lost up to a battalion of infantry, including North Korean soldiers and Russian paratroopers” in battles near Makhnovka.
Social media analyst Andrew Perpetua appeared to confirm these losses on 6 January, reporting visual confirmation of 408 casualties in a single day.
“I feel like I just watched a whole Russian battalion die in a single video,” Perpetua noted.
This recent setback follows a similar pattern to a previous engagement near Plekhove. Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko reported that on 14 December, North Korean forces suffered losses exceeding half their attacking force while attempting to capture the village from Ukrainian defenders.
Related:
- ISW: Russians make marginal advances near Toretsk, Kurakhove, deploy more fiber-optic drones
- Russian forces capture three villages in eastern Ukraine, DeepState reports
- ISW: Ukrainian troops gain ground in Kursk Oblast and strike rear areas
- Ukrainian SOF eliminate 13 North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast
- Russian losses in Ukraine surpass 800,000 troops, says General Staff
- Ukrainian bomber drone strikes Russian Buk-M1 air defense system (video)
- UK intel: Russian casualties almost doubled in 2024, with overall losses likely reaching 790,000
- Forbes: Russia and Ukraine launch offensives on the same day in Kursk salient