Ukraine Claims Russia Suffers Heavy Losses, Threatens Retaliation Against U.S. Arms Transfer
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia has suffered significant losses in the Kursk sector, with an entire battalion of its North Korean allies reportedly decimated in just two days.
In his regular video address on 4 April, Zelensky stated that a Russian battalion consisting of North Korean infantry and Russian paratroopers was wiped out during clashes near the town of Mah Wolff in the Kursk region. While he termed this a "meaningful event," Zelensky did not provide further details.
The 1,500-strong battalion, a standard unit size, is believed to have been the second North Korean unit deployed in the region to suffer heavy losses. Seoul has sent around 11,000 troops to aid Russia’s faltering invasion, but they are grappling with unfamiliar terrain and inadequate support, resulting in substantial casualties.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to sustain heavy losses. The RBC media outlet reported that Russia had lost around 1,510 troops in the past two days. Despite these setbacks, Russia’s military maintains an aggressive stance, as seen in its push to seize control of key industrial hubs like Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
While Russian forces make incremental territorial gains, they are facing growing resistance from Ukrainian forces equipped with Western weaponry, including U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles. In response to these developments, Russia has threatened to use hypersonic missiles to target Kyiv’s city center.
Civilian casualties are also mounting. Russian journalists covering the offensive in Donetsk were hit by a Ukrainian drone, resulting in one death and five injuries. Additionally, a strike in the Sumy region injured 10 civilians, including two children.
The ongoing conflict, now in its third month, has seen Russia seize vast swathes of Ukrainian territory, with the Analytical Department of the Ukrainian World Congress estimating that Russia has captured around 4,000 square kilometers.