Kyiv says there has been first clash between Ukrainian soldiers

President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke out on November 5 after the Ukrainian Defense Minister confirmed that there had been a minor confrontation between Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk province.

In his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said he had responded to reports of North Korea's troop deployment to Russia last month "not just with words... but with preparations for action".

"The first clashes with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world ," he warned. Mr Zelensky stressed that Ukraine must "do everything so that this step of expanding the conflict with Russia's real escalation does not succeed."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on October 17.

In an interview with South Korean television KBS, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that there had been a "small skirmish" with North Korean soldiers.

South Korea's defense ministry said on November 5 that more than 10,000 North Korean troops had arrived in Russia, with "a significant number" in frontline areas, including Russia's Kursk province, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack on August 6.

The Pentagon has previously confirmed that at least 10,000 North Korean troops are in Kursk, but could not confirm suggestions that they were involved in the fighting.

In addition, The New York Times on November 5 quoted a number of Ukrainian and American officials saying that North Korean soldiers clashed with Ukrainian forces for the first time in Kursk.

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Ukrainian officials did not give details about casualties, but the US official said a large number of North Korean soldiers were killed, according to The New York Times .

There is currently no information about the reaction of Russia or North Korea to the above information and accusations.

In a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency on November 1, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu stressed that the ministry is not directly involved in matters handled by the Ministry of National Defense and will not comment directly on any deployments. However, Kim Jong-gyu added: "If there is something that the world media is talking about, I think it would be an action in compliance with the provisions of international law."

During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on the same day, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui noted that leader Kim Jong-un had affirmed his support for the Russian army and people as early as 2022. Ms. Choe emphasized that Pyongyang is confident that the Russian army under the leadership of President Putin will win and that North Korea "reaffirms its commitment to always stand by Russia until victory" falls to Russia, according to TASS News Agency.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/kyiv-noi-da-co-cuoc-cham-tran-dau-tien-giua-binh-si-ukraine-trieu-tien-185241106091239787.htm