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North Korean Troops Withdraw from Russia’s Kursk Region Amid Heavy Losses, Ukraine Says
Kyiv, Ukraine – North Korean troops stationed in Russia’s Kursk region have not been seen on the frontlines for several weeks, according to a Ukrainian military official, suggesting they may have been withdrawn after suffering significant casualties.
Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, told CNN on Friday that Pyongyang’s forces had likely retreated.
“The presence of DPRK troops has not been observed for about three weeks, and they were probably forced to withdraw after suffering heavy losses,” Kindratenko said.
Heavy Casualties and Tactical Withdrawals
Reports from Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence indicate that about 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, with around 4,000 either killed or injured. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has also claimed that some North Korean units have been pulled back due to the scale of their losses.
North Korean troops had been deployed to Kursk since at least November to help Russian forces repel Ukrainian incursions in the southern border region.
“We are still in the Kursk region… the Russian forces were not enough to push us out,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week.
Zelensky stated that Russia had 60,000 troops in the Kursk region, while 12,000 North Koreans had been stationed there. He also noted that one-third of the North Korean soldiers had been killed in combat.
North Korean Troops Used as “Cannon Fodder”
Despite reports of strong discipline and good marksmanship, North Korean soldiers have struggled against modern warfare tactics, including the use of combat drones.
“They are prepared for the realities of war in 1980 at best,” said a commander from Ukraine’s 6th Special Operations Forces Regiment, who spoke anonymously to CNN.
Ukrainian forces have also described brutal, near-suicidal tactics employed by North Korean troops. Some have detonated grenades rather than be captured, while others have left written pledges of allegiance to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the battlefield.
Russia appears to have deployed North Koreans as foot soldiers, using them for mass ground assaults despite mounting losses in Kursk.
Ukraine Gains Ground as Russia Retakes a Village
Ukraine has recently advanced in Kursk, according to a battlefield update from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on January 26. However, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier this week that Russian forces had recaptured Nikolayevo-Daryino, a village on the Russia-Ukraine border.
Moscow and Pyongyang Silent on Deployment
Neither Russia nor North Korea have officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
However, their growing military alliance was reinforced last year when Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin signed a landmark defense pact, pledging to provide immediate military assistance if either country was attacked.
The agreement, seen as a revival of their 1961 Cold War-era mutual defense pledge, has fueled concerns about increased cooperation between the two nations as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on.
News
Investigation Underway After Goa Nightclub Fire Kills at Least 25
Authorities in the Indian state of Goa have opened an investigation into a nightclub fire that killed at least 25 people, including several tourists, in one of the region’s most popular party districts. Six others were injured in the blaze, which broke out shortly after midnight in Arpora, a nightlife hub about 25 kilometres from the state capital, Panaji.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed the death toll in a statement posted on X, saying the victims included many of the club’s kitchen staff and a small number of visiting tourists. He added that all the injured were in stable condition and receiving medical treatment. Rescue teams recovered all bodies from the site.
Early reports from local police, cited by the Press Trust of India, indicated that a gas cylinder explosion triggered the fire. Witnesses, however, told the agency that the blaze appeared to start on the club’s first floor, where nearly 100 tourists were dancing at the time. As smoke and flames swept through the building, many people ran toward the lower floor, where they became trapped along with staff members.
Sawant said a formal inquiry would determine the exact cause and whether the club complied with fire safety regulations. He pledged strict action against anyone found responsible, writing on X that any negligence uncovered by investigators would be “dealt with firmly”.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as patrons attempted to flee the burning building. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” said Fatima Shaikh, who was inside when the fire began.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences in a message on X, calling the incident “deeply saddening” and wishing the injured a swift recovery.
Local media reported that the club’s location along the Arpora River backwaters posed challenges for emergency crews. A narrow approach road forced fire engines to park about 400 metres from the entrance, slowing their response. Reports also revealed that the building had previously received a demolition notice after officials found it lacked a construction permit. That order was later withdrawn by senior state authorities, according to Arpora councillor Roshan Redkar.
Incidents involving gas cylinders and electrical faults are not unusual in India and often lead to heavy casualties, prompting renewed calls for stronger enforcement of safety standards. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the tragedy as a “criminal failure of safety and governance” and urged a transparent investigation to establish accountability and prevent future disasters.
The probe into the fire is expected to assess structural safety, emergency exits and compliance with existing regulations as authorities work to piece together how the late-night gathering turned into one of the deadliest incidents in the state in recent years.
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