Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov claimed on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had engaged with North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast for the first time.
A day earlier, another Ukrainian official made a similar claim, saying Ukrainian forces fired artillery at North Korean troops. But the Pentagon said it couldn’t corroborate the claim.
“We’ve seen the press reports about alleged combat ops. We’re looking into those, but at this point cannot corroborate those reports,” said Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Russian officials haven’t confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on Russian territory, but they haven’t denied the allegations and have pointed to a new military agreement Pyongyang and Moscow signed earlier this year, which included a mutual defense clause.
The US has said it believes there are about 10,000 North Korean troops in Kursk, which was invaded by Ukrainian forces on August 6. Russian troops have been slowly pushing the Ukrainian force out of the oblast.
Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelensky has been lashing out at his Western backers over the presence of North Korean troops in Kursk and is demanding support for long-range strikes inside Russian territory using NATO missiles, which Russia has made clear would risk nuclear war.
“We could strike preemptively if we had this opportunity – to strike at a sufficiently long range. And it depends on the partners,” Zelensky said last week. “But instead of such necessary long-range, America is watching, Britain is watching, Germany is watching. Everyone is just waiting for the North Korean military to start attacking Ukrainians as well.”
