North Korean soldiers sent to fight in Russia's Kursk region haven't been seen for several weeks, reports say.

North Korean soldiers previously fighting alongside Russia's army on the Kursk front line appear not to have been engaged in combat since mid-January, South Korea's spy agency told AFP on Tuesday, after Ukraine claimed they had been withdrawn following heavy losses.

Ukrainian president highlights incursion into Kursk region, alleged Russian losses, London's continued support in talks with UK foreign secretary - Anadolu Ajansı

Over recent weeks more than 20 North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles have struck Ukraine, according to Reuters. These missiles, capable of hitting targets up to 500 miles away, have overwhelmed Ukraine’s already depleted air defence systems.

North Korean troops, largely special ops forces, have suffered high casualties in bloody assaults not unlike other units, including prison units.

It also shed some light on the mindset and training of the conscripted North Korean soldiers sent to fight Russia’s war a continent away from their home. Highly disciplined, ready to die but also very young and with little battlefield experience they elicited curiosity and even some pity from the Ukrainian soldiers who captured them during two separate missions on Jan.

A North Korean soldier captured fighting for Russia in Ukraine last month reportedly made just two requests to his captors - one for water and another for a cigarette

One Ukrainian special forces soldier shares details of how his team captured the North Korean, giving an insight into the North Korean mindset.