Ukrainian Official: "First North Korean Troops Already Attacked in Russia's Western Kursk"

No Specific Details Such as North Korean Military Casualties

A North Korean military force, deployed to Russia for the first time, was reportedly attacked by Ukrainian forces in Russia's western Kursk region, according to a Ukrainian official on the 4th (local time).

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, is delivering a speech at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 23 (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to local Ukrainian media, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Counter-Disinformation Center (CCD) under Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, stated via Telegram on the same day, "The first North Korean troops have already been attacked in Kursk."

However, specific details such as casualties among the North Korean forces have not been disclosed.

Kovalenko had previously said during an appearance on Ukrainian state television on the 31st of last month that North Korean troops had not yet participated in combat but would soon be deployed. Earlier, on the 30th of the same month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also stated in an interview with KBS that "So far, North Korean forces have not engaged in combat and are preparing to participate in battles in Russia's Kursk."

North Korea is known to have deployed a considerable number of troops to assist Russia, which is at war with Ukraine. U.S. authorities announced on the 31st of last month that approximately 8,000 North Korean soldiers had gathered in Kursk and were preparing to fight Ukrainian forces.