North Korean troops have captured a village from Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, Russian military bloggers have reported.

They said “North Korean special forces” had endured a “baptism of fire” in the battle for Plekhovo, which had been fought over for several weeks.

“They walked 2km through a minefield, broke into the village with lightning speed and then destroyed the occupying contingent of Ukrainian Wehrmacht,” Yuri Kotenok told his 400,000 subscribers on social media app Telegram, deploying a Russian propaganda reference to Ukrainians as Nazis.

Western intelligence said Russia has deployed up to 12,000 North Korean conscripts to help recapture the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces carved out a foothold in August.

Mr Kotenok, who is regarded as well-connected to the Russian army, said the North Koreans took about 2-1/2 hours to capture Plekhovo last Friday.

“They didn’t take any prisoners and they won’t take them in the future, either,” Mr Kotenok reported late on Thursday.