North Korean troops enter Ukraine for first time, many are killed: NYT

North Korean troops have entered combat in Russia’s war against Ukraine, meeting for the first time with Ukrainian forces occupying much of Russia’s Kursk region, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing a senior Ukrainian and a senior U.S -officials.

The Ukrainian official did not provide any casualty information, but the U.S. official said a significant number of North Korean troops had been killed, the newspaper said.

The fighting was limited and the North Koreans fought alongside a Russian marine brigade, the Ukrainian official said, the newspaper reported, adding that it was unclear when the fighting took place.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “The first skirmishes with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world.”

The president called for support for his country’s defense and said the world must ensure that the “Russian move to expand the war” becomes a “failure.” He did not provide further details about the clash with North Korean troops.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed in an interview on South Korean public broadcaster KBS on Tuesday that his country’s military had come into contact with North Korean troops for the first time.

Zelensky, seeking to bolster support in the war against Russia, said in the statement: “Unfortunately, terror can spread like a virus if it is not met with sufficient countermeasures.”

Zelensky said on Monday that 11,000 North Korean soldiers had completed their training in Russia’s Far East and were sent to Russia’s western Kursk region, near Ukraine.

The Ukrainian official quoted by the US newspaper said that many of the North Korean troops in the Kursk region could join the fight in the coming days.

Russia and North Korea have intensified their military cooperation since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

They signed a comprehensive strategic partnership deal in June during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rare visit to Pyongyang. The treaty contains a provision for mutual assistance in the event that either is attacked.

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