Ukraine’s military intelligence chief denied recent media reports that North Korean troops deployed to Russia have temporarily retreated from the front lines, in an interview published on Wednesday.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service said that North Korean troops deployed to support russia's war against Ukraine appear not to have been involved in

January, there have been no signs showing North Korean troops deployed to the Russian Kursk region engaging in battle," South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said, suggesting that heavy losses may have been one of the reasons for their withdrawal.

North Korean troops, largely special ops forces, have suffered high casualties in bloody assaults not unlike other units, including prison units.