According to Ukraine, there were first clashes between Ukrainian and North Korean troops in the Russian border region of Kursk. Up to 15,000 North Korean soldiers could be in Russia.
The military of Ukraine as well as that of the USA and South Korea have been warning for days about the possible involvement of North Korean soldiers in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian government, there have now been clashes with North Korean troops.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov spoke of the first battles with North Koreans in an interview with the South Korean television station KBS. However, they would join the Russian army disguised as members of the Siberian Buryat people. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the North Koreans.
Up to 15,000 men from the authoritarian state could be deployed in fighting in the Russian border region of Kursk against the Ukrainian army. Ukraine dared to advance on the Russian Kursk region in August. Since then, fighting has continued in the region. The action was considered a surprise attack.
Demand for more support
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the deployment of North Korean soldiers there has been proven. He demanded a tough reaction from the global community.
“The first fighting with North Korean soldiers opens a new page of instability in the world,” Zelensky said in his evening video message.
“Together with the world, we must do everything we can to ensure that this Russian step to expand the war, to escalate it, is a step towards defeat,” Seleskyj demanded. This applies to both Russia and North Korea.
Uncertainties remain
The New York Times reported on Tuesday evening about the first clashes between North Korean and Ukrainian troops in the Russian border region. The newspaper relies on Ukrainian and US officials. Ukrainian troops had already advanced into Russian territory in the summer.
According to the media report, the deployment of North Korean soldiers was limited. He should probably test the Ukrainian side for weaknesses. The US official told The New York Times that a significant number of North Korean soldiers were killed in the clash. It remained unclear exactly when the fighting took place.
Military assistance pact between Russia and North Korea
North Korea and the Russian upper house had ratified a military assistance pact. The Federation Council in Moscow unanimously approved the defense agreement. President Vladimir Putin had previously signed the defense agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to Pyongyang in June.
It was Putin's first trip to the internationally isolated country in 24 years. The agreement now deepens the months-long security policy cooperation between the two countries.
“Immediate military assistance”
Accordingly, the partners will provide “immediate military assistance” in the event of an attack on one of the two countries. The agreement also requires Moscow and Pyongyang to cooperate in resisting Western sanctions and to coordinate their positions at the United Nations.
Kim calls Putin his “best comrade.” North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui assured during a visit to Moscow last week that North Korea would stand by Russia “until victory” in Ukraine. North Korea has become one of the main supporters of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. The West has long accused the country of supplying ammunition to Russia for use in Ukraine.
