Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says over three thousand North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.

Zelenskyy made the claim in a social media post on Monday, saying that he received a briefing from army commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

The Ukrainian president also warned of risks of North Korea sending additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army.

Calling for a stronger response from allies, Zelenskyy stressed that the world needs to understand that “growing cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang” leads to a proportionate increase in “risk of destabilization around the Korean Peninsula and in neighboring regions or waters.”

The number of casualties presented by Zelenskyy is much larger than the figure estimated by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS). 

The JCS said on Monday that North Korean troops have suffered about eleven-hundred casualties in Russia’s war against Ukraine, and Pyongyang may be preparing to deploy more troops to the region.