The New York Times, citing a senior Ukrainian official and a senior U.S. official, claimed yesterday that North Korean troops have entered combat in Russia’s Kursk region. The engagement was limited, the Ukrainian official said, and likely meant to probe the Ukrainian lines for weaknesses. The North Koreans fought alongside Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, the official said, reported the Times. It was unclear when the fighting purportedly took place. The Ukrainian official offered no details about casualties, but the U.S. official said a significant number of North Korean troops were killed.
Much of the rest of the force could enter the fight in the coming days, the senior Ukrainian official said. The North Korean troops, the official said, have been divided into two units—one made up of assault troops and another of support troops who will organize the defense of territory recaptured from Ukrainian forces.
According to a Nov. 5 account in the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that “the first clashes between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and North Korean soldiers have already taken place in Russia’s Kursk Oblast....” He told Korean TV channel KBS that “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 analyze and revise accordingly.”
Moscow has not responded to these reports but is moving ahead with a treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and North Korea. TASS reports that the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia’s Federal Assembly, unanimously approved a bill on the ratification of the treaty, today.
TASS notes that Article 4 of the treaty states that in the event of an imminent threat of an act of armed aggression against one of the sides, the sides shall, at the request of one of the sides, immediately activate bilateral channels for consultations with a view to coordinating their positions and agreeing on possible practical measures to assist each other to help eliminate the threat. In the event that one of the sides comes under an armed attack by any country or several countries and thus finds itself in a state of war, the other side will immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation and the D.P.R.K.
