Russia has lost over 38,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says

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The Russian army has lost over 38,000 troops and more than 1,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 1.

Syrskyi's statement comes after his visit to Russia's Kursk Oblast to reward the Ukrainian military serving in the area.

Over 700 servicemen from the Russian military were captured during the Ukrainian incursion, the general added.

"We will continue to destroy the invaders. It doesn't matter whether they have Russian or North Korean passports. The battle continues," Syrskyi said.

Ukraine began its surprise incursion into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, capturing about 1,300 square kilometers of territory, according to Kyiv. Ukrainian forces have lost control of about half of the initially captured territory as intense fighting continues in the region. Kyiv hopes to use the occupied Russian territory as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with Russia.

Russia has also stationed approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers in the region since August to assist in ousting Ukrainian forces.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 23 that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured since their deployment in Kursk Oblast.

Their casualties have been linked to their lack of knowledge of the terrain and modern drone warfare, according to South Korean MP Lee Sung-kwon.