According to the first official reports, Ukrainian and North Korean forces entered into battle at Kursk

Ukrainian troops have clashed for the first time with North Korean units that were recently deployed to help Russia in its war with its neighbor, Ukraine’s defense minister said Tuesday. Another Kiev official said Ukrainian forces fired artillery at North Korean troops in the Russian border area of ​​Kursk.

The comments were the first official reports that Ukrainian and North Korean forces have engaged in combat, following a deployment that has given the war a fresh look as it approaches its 1,000-day milestone. None of the claims have been independently verified.

Ukrainian and North Korean troops engaged in “small-scale” fighting that resulted in Start of direct participation of Pyongyang It is the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam Umerov in an interview with South Korean public broadcaster KBS.

Umerov said he expected to be deployed to the Kursk region five North Korean unitsEach of them consisted of about 3,000 soldiers.

For his part, Andrey Kovalenko, head of the anti-disinformation branch of the Ukrainian Security Council, said that “the first North Korean troops have already been bombed in the Kursk region” and did not provide further details.

Western governments had expected North Korean troops to be sent to the Russian border area of ​​Kursk, where a three-month-old incursion by Ukrainian forces is the first occupation of Russian territory since World War II and has embarrassed the Kremlin.

Pentagon announced this on MondayAt least 10,000 North Korean soldiers were in RussiaNear the border with Ukraine.

More troops than the 1.3 million-strong North Korean army could be deployed to Russia, according to an analysis published Tuesday by the European Council on Foreign Relations, an international think tank. Analysis continues to show that its impact extends far beyond Europe.

Changes in security relations between Europe and Asia

“Despite integration problems such as communications barriers and different military doctrines, the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia represents a significant shift in security relations between Europe and Asia,” the analysis said. “For the first time in generations, East Asian soldiers are actively participating in a European conflict.”

North Korean soldiers, whose quality and combat experience are unknownAdd to this Ukraine’s deteriorating situation on the battlefield.

especially ukrainian security in eastern Donetsk regionbowing under the pressure of expensive but continued Russian invasion for months.

Britain’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday announced its decision on social platform

He claimed that Russia has superior troop numbers and that despite heavy casualties, the Kremlin’s recruitment drive is providing enough new soldiers to keep up the pressure.

Russia takes the initiative on the battlefield

Over the past year, Russia has made gains on the battlefield in Ukraine. In early October, Russian troops expel Ukrainian troops from VuledarStrategically important mountainous city in eastern Ukraine, formerly part of a key belt of Ukrainian defence.

Russia’s next targets are likely to be the Pokrovsk logistics center and the strategically important city of Chasiv Yar.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued its long-range air strikes against civilian areas in Ukraine, according to officials.

On Tuesday morning, an attack on the southern city of Zaporizhia left six people dead and 23 injured, according to the region’s governor Ivan Fedorov.

The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said the Russian attacks “must be stopped by strong action” and “a strong position on the part of (Ukraine’s Western) allies is necessary,” he wrote on Telegram.