North Korean troops engage in combat in Russia’s Kursk for first time, say US officials

North Korean troops recently took part in combat in Russia’s Kursk region for the first time, according to a Reuters report, citing two US officials on Wednesday.

According to one of the officials, speaking anonymously, the troops were engaged in fighting on November 4.

The officials did not disclose details about casualties or the nature of the combat, added the report.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that the first battles between the Ukrainian military and North Korean troops “open a new page in instability in the world” after his defence minister said a “small engagement” had taken place.

According to a BBC report, in an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov had earlier confirmed that a “small group” of North Korean soldiers were attacked.

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Ukraine claims that around 11,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces have a presence.

In recent weeks, intelligence from South Korea, the US, and Nato has indicated that North Korean troops may be involved in Russia’s war.

However, both Moscow and Pyongyang have yet to respond to these allegations.

Ukraine’s top counter-disinformation official Andriy Kovalenko first said in a Telegram post on Monday that North Korea’s “first military units… [had] already come under fire in Kursk”, reported BBC.

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Umerov confirmed this to South Korean broadcaster KBS, saying he expects a “significant number” of the North Korean troops to be engaged in combat, though he added it was “so far just small contacts, not full-scale engagement”.

Most of them are still undergoing training, he added.

“They’re wearing Russian uniforms, they’re undergoing tactical training, and they’re being deployed under various commands of the Russian army on the front lines,” Umerov was quoted as saying.

He said it was likely that five units, each consisting of around 3,000 soldiers, would be deployed across the battlefield.

He did not mention if there were any casualties.

With inputs from agencies