Ukraine Has Engaged North Korean Troops in Kursk for First Time

The Financial Times (FT) and other media outlets have reported that Ukrainian forces have fired on North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s western Kursk region, marking the first known combat engagement with foreign soldiers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Andriy Kovalenko, Ukraine’s top counter-disinformation official on the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), confirmed the development on Telegram on Monday, Nov.4, saying, “The first military units of the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] have already come under fire in Kursk.”

South Korea’s public broadcaster KBS reported on Tuesday that Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov had also indicated that the Ukrainian military had been involved in its first engagement with North Korean troops. In an interview with KBS, Umerov described the encounter as a “small-scale” engagement that took place on Monday.

Umerov provided limited details about the timing and location of the clashes but noted that approximately 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been deployed across northeastern, eastern, and southeastern positions along the 1,500-kilometer (930 miles) front line.

He added that this engagement effectively marked North Korea’s official entry into the Russia-Ukraine war.

A senior Ukrainian intelligence official also verified the clash to the FT, once again withholding specifics on the engagement, but said the incident took place within Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine currently controls around 600 square kilometers (232 square miles). This is just over half of the area Kyiv initially held after its surprise August incursion.

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For many the direct involvement of a foreign army marks a significant escalation of the war, introducing and broadening the scope of Europe’s largest land war since World War II, the FT’s report says.

The US condemned Russia and China at the UN Security Council on Monday, accusing them of “shamelessly protecting” and enabling North Korea. South Korea and the European Union joined in denouncing North Korea’s presence, with concerns that Moscow may reciprocate by providing Pyongyang with nuclear and ballistic technology.

A Ukrainian official told the FT that Russia is allegedly supplying North Korea with military technology and funding to support its missile programs.

In Moscow, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, delivering greetings from Kim Jong-un, who supports Russia’s war in Ukraine and signed a security pact with Putin in June.

Choe reaffirmed Pyongyang’s support, saying that North Korea had full confidence in Putin’s leadership and believed that the Russian military and people would achieve victory in their struggle “to defend the country’s sovereign rights and security.”

While Putin hasn’t confirmed North Korea’s deployment, he hinted last month it might fall under the June treaty's security provisions.

U.S. and South Korean officials confirmed Ukraine’s assessment that about 8,000 North Korean troops arrived in Russia’s Kursk region last month to support Russian forces in pushing back Ukrainian advances. Senior Ukrainian intelligence officials told the FT that the troops were stationed 50 kilometers (31.25 miles) from the Ukrainian border and expected to join the fighting within days.

In total, Kyiv, Washington, and Seoul estimate North Korea has deployed around 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals. Most are reported to be stationed in Russia’s far east for training.

The White House stated that North Korean soldiers would become “legitimate military targets” if they engaged in combat against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his Monday address, reported that 11,000 North Korean soldiers were now in Kursk, expressing frustration over the lack of response from Ukraine’s allies.

According to Ukraine's intelligence directorate (HUR), Russia has armed the North Korean forces with mortars, assault rifles, anti-tank weapons, night-vision devices, and thermal imagers, while a few hundred special forces have also been deployed. Ukrainian officials and analysts question the combat readiness of the North Korean troops, with most being inexperienced and low-ranking.

Russian troops stationed in the Kursk region were reported to be discussing the challenges of trying to integrate with North Korean soldiers, particularly due to language and cultural barriers, as Kyiv Post reported earlier, citing an intercepted call released by the HUR.

The call, reportedly between members of Russia’s 810th Separate Marine Brigade, reveals a Russian soldier describing the North Koreans as “already here, learning with a translator.” The Kremlin reportedly plans to assign one translator and three Russian officers for every 30 North Korean troops, but the soldiers on the call doubted whether there were enough Russian personnel to support this setup.