The first clashes between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and North Korean soldiers have already taken place in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed on Nov. 5 in an interview with South Korean TV channel KBS.
North Korea deployed 11,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the day before, citing Ukraine's intelligence report.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, also claimed on Nov. 4 that the first North Korean soldiers stationed in this area have come under fire.
"We are identifying clashes with North Korean forces, but we believe there will be more fighting in the next few weeks, and we will continue to analyze and revise accordingly," Umerov said.
The clashes were small-scale, according to Umerov.
The minister added that the DPRK soldiers were "disguised as Buryats" (an Asian people group inside Russia's borders) and mixed with Russian soldiers, so all the identities need to be checked to confirm the exact number of their losses and prisoners.
Kyiv expects five units of 3,000 people each to be deployed along the 1,500-kilometer front line. This will bring the total number of North Koreans involved in the war to 15,000.
The Russian border region has seen heavy battles since Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive in early August. Moscow has deployed North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast to reinforce lines there while its most experienced units continue advancing in Ukraine's east.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that if Ukraine had permission to use Western long-range weapons on Russian territory, it could preemptively target "every camp" in Russia where North Korean troops are gathering.
According to Zelensky, Russia has confirmed to the West the involvement of Pyongyang's forces in the war.
Chris York
(Updated: )
