We still don’t know for sure if there are North Korean troops fighting in Russia against Ukrainian forces. Perhaps we never will. But Ukraine’s case for their presence was not made stronger by the sudden announcement on January 30 that they were gone.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Feb. 2, Zelensky added that while these countries had previously cooperated on weapons and technology, they are now openly engaged in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

North Korean troops have been pulled back from the frontline amid devastating losses, according to Ukrainian and American officials. Kim Jong Un ’s forces have not been seen on the battlefield for around three weeks, Ukrainian special forces said, according to the New York Times.

Ukraine previously said it had captured or killed several North Korean soldiers deployed to the Kursk region. Zelensky has published footage of interrogations with what he said were North Korean priso

Lee Seong-kweun, a member of South Korea’s National Assembly, also claimed that "in the memos carried by those killed ... North Korean authorities emphasised self-destruction and suicide before capture". A former North Korean soldier going by the name Kim added that suicide is "the reality" of being a soldier for his country.

North Korea sent its best troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine. But after months of suffering severe losses, they have been taken off the front line.

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

A North Korean soldier captured fighting for Russia in Ukraine last month reportedly made just two requests to his captors - one for water and another for a cigarette