Umerov confirmed first combat engagements between the AFU and North Korean troops.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that the first combat engagements have already occurred between Ukrainian forces and North Korea. He reported this during an interview with South Korean media. According to Umerov, these clashes between AFU units and the military from North Korea have already begun.

According to him, the minister expects that the number of such engagements will increase in the coming weeks. He also noted that this marks the official entry of North Korea into the war. Earlier, the head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, reported that North Korean military personnel were fired upon in the Kursk region of Russia.

According to Pentagon data, there are currently over 10,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region, providing support to Russian armed forces in the war against Ukraine. The cooperation between Russia and North Korea, as noted by the UN, leads to a "dangerous escalation."