Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that North Korean soldiers stationed in Western Russia to fight on the Russian side against his side have been killed, BTA reported.
In an interview with Kyodo, the Ukrainian head of state also said that it is almost certain that North Korean soldiers will be used as "chicken meat" on the front line.
In front of the Japanese agency, Zelensky called on NATO to invite his country to join the organization as soon as possible and described the support for Ukraine from its partners as "insufficient".
Zelensky stressed that the war has entered a "complex stage" as Russia advances faster in eastern Ukraine.
He did not specify how many North Korean soldiers sent to Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, have been killed or wounded in clashes with Ukrainian forces.
However, he said there was evidence that about 12,000 North Korean soldiers were stationed there. Ukraine must "have evidence" before revealing the exact number of victims.
Zelensky expects many North Korean soldiers to be sent to the front in the future, saying it is "indisputable" that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use them "as cannon fodder.