Ukraine’s military intelligence chief denied recent media reports that North Korean troops deployed to Russia have temporarily retreated from the front lines, in an interview published on Wednesday.

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engaged in combat since mid-January, South Korea's spy agency told AFP on Tuesday, after Ukraine claimed they had been withdrawn following heavy losses.

A Ukrainian news outlet has published a video showing the capture of a North Korean soldier, as South Korea's spy agency said Kim Jong Un has pulled troops from Russia's Kursk region. Newsweek has contacted the Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment.

Reports indicate that North Korean soldiers deployed alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region have halted combat operations after suffering significant losses.