Ukraine's president has said North Korean forces have returned to the front line in Russia's western Kursk region, after reports they had recently been withdrawn due to heavy casualties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his Friday evening address: "New assaults took place in the areas of the Kursk operation—the Russian army with North Korean soldiers brought in again. A significant number of occupiers have been eliminated, we're talking hundreds of Russian and North Korean servicemen."

South Korea's National Intelligence Service has reportedly confirmed that North Korea has withdrawn its troops from the frontline in Russia's Kursk region after entering the war late last year