North Korean troops supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are conducting ground assaults against Ukrainian forces that have led to “heavy casualties,” a White House spokesman said.

The U.S. accused Russia of deploying North Korean troops in Ukraine, forcing them into massed, often suicidal, assaults against Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region. According to U.S. officials, many North Korean soldiers have taken their own lives rather than face capture, fearing reprisals against their families back home.

The North Korean army is one of the world’s largest.​ As it joins Russia’s war against Ukraine, its soldiers are paying a price for Kim Jong-un’s geopolitical maneuvers.

North Korean troops are impacting the battle dynamics in Kursk, with heavy casualties reported and Ukraine's control weakening.

Ukrainian intelligence reveals troubling conditions among North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk region.

Fresh units were moved to positions near the settlements of Ulyanok, Afanasievka, and Cherkasskaya Konopelka on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. "The morale of the soldiers has dropped. They are under constant Russian army propaganda,