27 as Pyongyang’s troops reportedly suffered significant losses.The statement came after Sky News reported, citing a commander of a detachment of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center with a callsign "Puls," that North Korean troops have temporarily withdrawn from the contact line in the embattled Russian region .Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson of the Special Operations Forces, clarified to the Kyiv Independent that the North Korean troops appear to have had to temporarily withdraw only from one of the axes of Kursk Oblast where the 73rd SOF Center is deployed.North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast last fall to support Russian forces in countering a Ukrainian incursion launched in early August 2024. Ukrainian forces have continued fighting in the region, hoping to leverage their positions for potential negotiations.North Korean forces are taking respite from hostilities, presumably to treat the wounded, wait for reinforcements, and work on mistakes made during the fighting in this sector, according to Sky News.