According to reports, a running clash between Ukrainian forces and North Korean troops stationed in Russia’s Kursk region has reportedly appeared, marking the first ever reported confrontation that involves North Korean forces since Ukraine launched a cross-border counteroffensive in August. Business Insider could confirm this skirmish as being true because Andrii Kovalenko is the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation for Ukraine and posted details Monday.
Ukrainian forces launched an attack on North Korean soldiers who were serving together with Russian servicemen along the Kursk Oblast said Kovalenko. During the battle, it was reported that spotters of Ukrainian troops had reported enemy positions and artillery barrages subsequently launched against Russian and North Korean positions. Ukraine’s defense minister Rustem Umerov later confirmed that the clash was a “small engagement” and the first time that the North Koreans played a major role in the conflict.
According to Kovalenko, this is not an isolated clash, but noted that “daily battles” have been happening in Sudzha, a key Ukrainian-held town near Kursk. The North Korean soldiers, an estimated 11,000-strong force, have suffered multiple losses since their deployment.
The Ukrainians claim North Korean soldiers train for only a short period in Russia before being forwarded into combat. Some will also be trained on drone reconnaissance and strike practices, capabilities that will someday pose a security threat when these North Koreans return to their mother country. Ukrainian forces “require additional resources” to combat the threat posed by North Korean-trained soldiers, said Kovalenko.
These claims are yet to be independently corroborated, but distinct reports by Ukrainian intelligence maintain that Moscow has recently provided North Korean forces with recently issued equipment, including anti-tank missiles, machine guns, and mortars. The cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, which transcends the difficulties it entails, exhibits a furthering alliance in that both countries intend to strengthen their military position for the war that remains, to this day.
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