Ukrainian military strikes North Korean soldiers for the first time – FT
The Ukrainian military has engaged North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast for the first time since their deployment by Russia, according to the Financial Times, citing an unnamed high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence official.
The official declined to provide details about the first military encounter between Ukrainian forces and North Korean soldiers. However, the source added that the incident occurred in Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine controls approximately 600 square kilometers of territory, slightly more than half of what it previously held after the summer offensive.
LIGA.net reached out to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense for comment.
Earlier, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, stated that the first North Korean military personnel had already come under fire near Kursk, without providing further details.
The Financial Times, citing Ukrainian intelligence, reported that Russia has armed North Korean forces in Kursk Oblast with 60-millimeter mortars, assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-tank guided missiles, and anti-tank missile systems. Some soldiers were also equipped with night vision devices and thermal imagers, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
On October 31, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the reaction of allies to the presence of North Korean troops in Russia and their involvement in the war against Ukraine as "zero."
On November 2, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported that Russia had transferred over 7,000 soldiers from North Korea to Kursk Oblast.
On November 4, Europe and South Korea called on North Korea to withdraw its soldiers from Russia and stop supplying weapons for the war against Ukraine.
On the same day, Zelenskyy stated that Russia had transferred approximately 11,000 military personnel from North Korea to Kursk Oblast.