International- Ukrainian forces have struck North Korean troops in Kursk, marking a new phase in the conflict.
- A Ukrainian official told BI they were wearing Russian uniforms and were hit by an artillery strike.
A Ukrainian official gave Business Insider further details about the first clashes between Ukrainian and North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk, where Ukraine launched a cross-border counteroffensive in August.
Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, said on Monday that "the first North Korean troops have already come under fire in Kursk Oblast."
This was later confirmed by Ukraine's defense minister, Rustem Umerov, who called it a "small engagement." Rustem said that the skirmish signaled decisively that North Korea had joined the conflict.
In remarks sent to BI, Kovalenko gave more details about the attack.
"It was an ordinary combat engagement in the Kursk region," he said, describing how Ukrainian forces conduct reconnaissance, identify enemy positions, and launch strikes.
He said that Ukrainian forces knew that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms had been distributed across various Russian army units in the region for training under combat conditions.
"An artillery strike was launched against a position where Russians and North Korean military personnel were located," he said.
Kovalenko added that it wasn't an isolated incident.
He said "daily battles" now occur in the area around Sudzha, a Ukraine-held town at the center of its push into the region.
"Of course, shelling of the positions occurs daily," he said.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that North Korean soldiers — which Ukraine says number 11,000 — have already taken casualties in Kursk.
According to Kovalenko, the North Koreans are being given "a few weeks" of training before being sent to live combat positions.
He said they pose "a serious threat that requires additional resources from our forces."
He also said that some were being given training in using reconnaissance and strike drones, skills that present a future risk to South Korea.
Once back in North Korea, they could use their new drone know-how "for future terrorist actions in the border areas with South Korea," he said.
Business Insider was unable to independently confirm his account.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian intelligence has shared details of the military equipment it says Russia has issued to North Koreans, including mortars, rifles, machine guns, and anti-tank missiles.
North Korea experts told BI that the military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang is a win-win for both countries. But on a practical level, they also spoke of the logistical difficulties of combining two militaries.
This includes the conditions the troops will likely be cooperating under — including language issues, strains of racism from some Russian troops, as well as likely close supervision from North Korean officials to make sure they don't desert.
Ukrainian intelligence also recently shared what it said was intercepted audio of Russian servicemen discussing the incoming Korean troops, in a conversation that suggested a chaotic start to North Koreans joining Russia's fight.