According to Syrskyi, Russia has suffered 17,800 casualties since the attack on Kursk began

Ukrainian forces have killed, injured or captured 17,819 Russian soldiers in Kursk Oblast since the first days of the invasion of Kiev, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed on October 25.

According to the general, a total of 6,662 Russian soldiers have been killed, 10,446 wounded and 711 captured since August 8.

Ukraine launched its cross-border invasion of Kursk Oblast on August 6, claiming to initially want to take about 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles), but has recently faced increasing pressure as Russia brought in reinforcements.

Syrskyi refuted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims during the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 24 that about 2,000 Ukrainian troops had been cut off in Kursk Oblast.

“This is complete disinformation that does not reflect the real situation,” Syrskyi said.

“Ukrainian troops continue active operations in the Kursk direction, destroying the enemy’s combat potential for the third month in a row.”

The Kyiv Independent was unable to verify these claims.

The reports came days after the first North Korean soldiers were reportedly deployed to the front line in Kursk Oblast along with Russian forces. North Korea has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, the Military Intelligence Service of Ukraine (HUR) said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia plans to send the first North Korean soldiers to a combat zone on October 27 and 28.