Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that there had already been first clashes between Ukrainian and North Korean troops in the Kursk Region. Speaking to the South Korean media outlet KBS, he said that these were not systematic hostilities involving all troops.
DPRK troops were disguised as Buryats and mixed with Russians, so all the identities need to be checked to confirm the exact number of their casualties and prisoners. So far, the fighting involving the Koreans has been "small-scale," the minister said.
"We are identifying clashes with North Korean forces, but we believe there will be more fighting in the next few weeks, and we will continue to analyse and review accordingly," Umerov said.
According to him, it is expected that five units of 3,000 people each will be deployed along the 1,500km frontline. This will bring the total number of Koreans involved in the war to 15,000. They will be fully deployed after the exercises are completed.
- Today, Suspilne, citing an anonymous source in the special services, reported that the first clash between the Ukrainian army and the Koreans has already taken place in the Kursk Region.
- Yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the number of DPRK troops in Russia had increased to 11,000. He noted that there was no reaction from the world.