A high-ranking general has become the first senior North Korean military figure to be wounded fighting against Ukrainian troops, Western officials say.

The general was reportedly injured in a missile strike on the Russian border region of Kursk, which Ukraine invaded in August, according to the Wall Street Journal. The officials did not disclose his identity.

The US and South Korea have accused North Korea of sending more than 10,000 troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. 

In exchange for the troops, Russia has given North Korea anti-air missiles, Seoul’s security chief said on Friday.

“It has been identified that equipment and anti-aircraft missiles aimed at reinforcing Pyongyang’s vulnerable air defence system have been delivered to North Korea,” Shin Won-sik, Seoul’s top security advisor, told local broadcaster SBS, adding that Moscow also provided support for Pyongyang’s space programme.