Kiev, Ukraine - Officials in have confirmed reports of a temporary withdrawal of units from the frontline in the Kursk region of western .

An undated handout photograph released on January 11, 2025 from the Telegram account of V_Zelenskiy_official shows an alleged soldier presented as North Korean detained by Ukrainian authorities at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, following his capture by the Ukrainian army. © Handout / Telegram/V_Zelenskiy_official / AFP

"We inform that the presence of has not been felt for about three weeks. They were probably forced to withdraw because of ," the spokesman of the Ukrainian special forces, Colonel Olexander Kindratenko told the Ukrainska Pravda news website.

Kindratenko said that he could only speak for the sections of the front where special units were deployed.

Ukraine, which has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion for almost three years, launched a counter-offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk last summer, aiming to reduce the pressure on its eastern fronts and improve its negotiating position.

The New York Times previously reported on a withdrawal of the North Korean soldiers due to high losses. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has not commented on the report.

Russia is believed to have North Korean soldiers in Kursk for the first time in late October. The two countries have recently strengthened cooperation on defense.