Ukraine targets North Korean troops amid rising tensions
The Ukrainian army attacked North Korean soldiers stationed in Russia's Kursk region for the first time, reported Andriy Kovalenko, a representative of the authorities in Kyiv, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency on Monday.
The first DPRK military personnel have already come under fire in the Kursk region— stated Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, on his Telegram channel. However, he did not provide any further details about this operation.
The presence of North Korean forces in Russia is causing growing concern in Kyiv. Last Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Western allies to take action concerning North Korean troops in Russia before they begin engaging Ukrainian soldiers. He emphasized that Ukraine has identified all deployment sites of these forces but has not received the long-range weapons from allies necessary to attack them.
On October 31, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that there are around 10,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia, with 8,000 stationed in the Kursk region. This area is where Ukrainian forces began their offensive in August of this year.
North Korean soldiers support Russia
Reports of North Korean soldiers in Russia have surfaced since mid-October. TVP Info, citing Ukrainian intelligence reports, suggests that in the last week of October, Russia moved over 7,000 soldiers from North Korea to positions near Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also confirmed that soldiers sent by Kim Jong Un have been deployed in Russia's Kursk region. During a visit to Russia, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui assured that her country would fulfill the strategic partnership agreement and support Russia in the war.
Officially, there has been no response regarding the presence or involvement of North Korean soldiers in combat operations.
