North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast have reportedly come under fire for the first time, marking their first combat engagement in Russia’s war against Ukraine, a Ukrainian official reported on 4 November.
Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, reported the engagement on Telegram:
“The first DPRK military personnel have already come under fire in Kursk Oblast,” he wrote, using the acronym for North Korea’s official title, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The official did not provide additional details about the engagement or potential casualties. Other sources have yet to confirm the engagement, and Euromaidan Press was unable to verify this claim.
South Korea considers sending weapons to Ukraine amid North Korean deployment
The reported combat comes amid multiple confirmations of North Korean military presence in Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on 29 October that 3,000 North Korean fighters were on “Russian training grounds in the immediate vicinity of the war zone.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference on 31 October that some 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported last week that approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals, have been deployed to Russia. On 2 November, HUR updated that Russia transferred more than 7,000 Pyongyang troops to areas near Ukraine in late October.
The UK Defense Ministry reported on 1 November that around 10,000 DPRK combat troops are in Russia, adding that some have “almost certainly” deployed to Kursk Oblast.
Related:
- North Korea, Russia strengthen ties with new digital cooperation deal
- South Korea considers sending weapons to Ukraine amid North Korean deployment
- ISW: North Korean troops in Russia equal one week of frontline losses
- Russia deployed over 7,000 North Korean soldiers to areas near Ukraine – intelligence
- Pyongyang pledges loyalty to Russia “until victory” over Ukraine
- Ukraine to request military aid from South Korea as North Korea sends troops for Russia’s war