North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly sent New Year’s messages to North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia's war against Ukraine, urging them to "fight with courage" until the end, according to a news report.

The soldiers of the Korean People's Army captured from the front lines of the war in Ukraine appeared unwilling to defect from North Korea.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that more than 3,800 North Korean soldiers have already been killed in the Kursk region.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this month that as many as 4,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in recent weeks, with only two captured alive. Both men were wounded and transferred to custody in Kyiv, where Zelenskyy said they are being interrogated and treated for their injuries.

North Korea's deployment to Russia is its first major involvement in a war since the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea reportedly sent a much smaller contingent to the Vietnam War and to the civil conflict in Syria. The United States has warned the experience in Russia will make North Korea "more capable of waging war against its neighbours".

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, North Korean soldiers were transported to Russian territory by ferry, then by train, and kept in total isolation as far as information was concerned.

Ukrainian operatives from special units have captured another group of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. Their equipment is surprising, as one was found carrying a modern Russian AK-12 rifle.