North Korean troops in Russia shelled by Ukrainian forces

The DPRK’s [North Korea] direct support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, besides showing Russia’s desperate efforts to compensate its losses, would mark a dangerous expansion of the conflict,

the ministers said

Despite integration challenges — including communication barriers and differing military doctrines — the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia represents a significant shift in European and Asian security relations,

the analysis said

We are recording contacts with North Korean forces, but we believe that in a few weeks, there will be a greater number of combat clashes, and we will analyse and review them accordingly."

Quote from Umierov

Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident

Everyone is just waiting for the North Korean military to start attacking Ukrainians,

Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram

Yes, I think so. It was a clash.”

Asked if the engagement meant North Korea had officially joined the war, Umerov replied

We expect more engagements in the coming weeks,

he added

We got rations, and as far as I heard those are for the brigade'',

one Russian soldier moaned

The first North Korean troops have already been shelled, in the Kursk region,

Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation branch of Ukraine’s Security Council, wrote on Telegram

A stronger position by (Ukraine’s Western) allies is needed,

he wrote on Telegram

Patrick S. Ryderpentagon spokesman

All indications are that they will provide some type of combat or combat support capability,

said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder

We've not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days,

he said

Putin has not confirmed the North Korean deployment but he hinted at it last month, indicating it fell under the security provisions in the treaty,

the FT reported

We will know soon" how

one of the officials told the FT

The first military personnel from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have already come under fire in the Kursk region

the head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, wrote on Telegram on Monday

North Korea is on record as having fought for Russia. If there ever is a war on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea can now expect Russia to come and help,

Wi concluded

What's killing the Ukrainians is Russian artillery and really what I mean by that is North Korean artillery,

he told Newsweek, referring to the millions of rounds of ammunition Pyongyang has provided Moscow

Putin anticipates that the presence of North Koreans will force Washington to issue further restrictions on Ukraine to prevent escalation,

geopolitical analyst and Ukrainian military veteran Viktor Kovalenko told Newsweek

However, Kyiv continues striking Russian troops inside Ukraine and in the Kursk region, suggesting that the elimination of North Korean forces along them would not result in an unusual escalation,

he added

North Korea is not necessarily wanting to back away from the relationship at the moment because it’s given a lifeline as well as a hedge partner against China,

said Samuel Ramani, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London

What if North Korean soldiers desert or are captured? What is the future of DPRK-Europe relations? What if South Korean weapons [supplied via the U.S to Ukraine thus far] kills North Korean soldiers? What if Ukraine makes a point of targeting North Korean soldiers for propaganda purposes

he asked