Russian special forces fighting in the northern Kursk region of Russia have told the BBC they haven’t seen any North Korean soldiers there for the past three weeks.
According to a official, they were likely to have left after suffering significant costs.
Last week, Western leaders told the BBC that, out of some 11, 000 troops sent from North Korea to struggle for Russia, 1, 000 had been killed in only three weeks.
North Korea and Russia have no commented.
The Russian special forces official told the BBC on Friday that he was only referring to places in the Kursk area where his forces were engaged in combat.
The official did not specify how much that top line had been.
And while this is never the whole picture, it does indicate significant North Korean deaths.
The North Koreans were even reported to have been taken off the front lines, according to the New York Times.
According to US officers, the soldiers may not be permanently withdrawn, and they may do so after receiving additional training or after the Russians find new ways to deploy them to avoid for high casualties.
The North Koreans are reportedly ready for contemporary warfare and are particularly susceptible to Ukrainian drone strikes, according to reports from South Korean intelligence.
In recent months, Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have strengthened diplomatic ties by signing a security and defense agreement.
Pyongyang’s aid to Moscow then also extends to huge quantities of ammunition and weapons.
Last August, elite Ukrainian troops launched a lightning offensive in Kursk, seizing more than 1, 000 sq km ( 386 sq miles ) of Russian territory.
A sizable portion of that area has been retaken by Russian forces since then.
Kyiv’s wonder invasion was intended to alter the conflict’s relationships.
It was initially hoped the operation would relieve pressure on other parts of the more than 1, 000km-long ( 620 miles ) frontline, particularly in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow has recently seized a number of settlements in the Donetsk region, continuing its continuous, albeit slower, expansion in the west.
Then, Kyiv is looking to use the land it owns in Kursk as a springboard for any upcoming peace or peace negotiations with Moscow.
In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale war of Ukraine.