First North Korean soldiers come under Ukrainian fire – National Security and Defense Council

North Korean soldiers, who were transferred by Russia to Kursk Oblast to participate in the war against Ukraine, have already come under fire, reported the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko.

"The first North Korean military personnel have already come under fire in Kursk Oblast," he wrote, without providing further details.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is "very concerned" about the information regarding the transfer of North Korean soldiers to Russia and their possible deployment in the combat zone. The UN stated that this would mean a "very dangerous escalation" of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

"Everything must be done to avoid any internationalization of this conflict," the statement on the UN website reads.

On October 29, the Spanish publication El País reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces might have struck the first blow against North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast.

On October 31, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia had concentrated 45,000 soldiers in Kursk Oblast. At the beginning of the operation, there were several thousand soldiers.

On November 1, the North Korean foreign minister stated that the country believes in Russia's victory and promised to "stand by" the Russians.

On the same day, the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania reported that Russia had transferred soldiers from Kaliningrad Oblast to Kursk Oblast.

On November 2, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported that Russia had transferred over 7,000 North Korean soldiers to Kursk Oblast.