Ukraine's Zelenskiy:North Koreans suffer losses in Kursk region, left unprotected by Russian forces

Dec 27 (Reuters) - North Korean troops fighting in Russia's Kursk region are suffering heavy losses and being left unprotected by the Russian forces alongside which they are fighting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday.

Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said Russian troops were doing everything to ensure that North Korean soldiers were not taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces.

He said some North Korean soldiers had been captured by Ukrainian forces, but were hurt so badly they could not be saved.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

((Ronald.Popeski@thomsonreuters.com;))