Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Thursday that North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s Kursk region have suffered casualties in their initial combat engagements with Ukrainian forces. Speaking at a European Political Community summit, Zelensky confirmed that North Korean forces, reportedly numbering up to 11,000, had been involved in recent skirmishes along the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov described one encounter as a “small engagement” in which Ukrainian forces identified and struck a position occupied by both Russian and North Korean soldiers. This interaction marked the first confirmed instance of North Korean troops actively participating in combat within the region. Ukrainian intelligence suggested that North Korean soldiers are being integrated into Russian units and provided with a few weeks of combat training. According to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, the presence of North Korean troops could present a “serious threat,” potentially necessitating additional resources from Ukrainian forces.
The troops reportedly engaged by Ukraine are believed to include members of North Korea’s elite “Storm Corps,” a unit considered highly trained by North Korean standards. However, Hyunseung Lee, a former North Korean soldier now residing in the United States, argued that despite their training, these soldiers are unprepared for the intensity of the Ukraine conflict. Lee explained that while North Korean soldiers undergo extensive military training and serve up to a decade in the armed forces, they lack real battle experience due to North Korea’s prolonged isolation and absence of recent large-scale military engagements.
Reports suggest that the North Korean troops deployed to Kursk have been issued a range of Russian weaponry, including mortars, rifles, and anti-tank missiles, and are undergoing training in reconnaissance and drone operations. Kovalenko emphasized that these drone skills could pose a future security threat, particularly if North Korean soldiers bring their new expertise back to the Korean Peninsula. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the presence of North Korean troops in Russia is already affecting local dynamics, with Ukrainian forces encountering regular shelling in the area surrounding the Ukrainian-controlled town of Sudzha.
