Ukraine and North Korean troops clash for first time, Zelenskyy warns of escalation

Ukraine has engaged militarily for the archetypal clip with South Korean troops that were deployed to enactment Russia successful its ongoing warfare with its neighbor, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday successful a nightly address. 

Zelenskyy did not spell into item astir the engagement but warned of what helium says is Russia’s volition to escalate the warfare that has raged for astir 1,000 days. 

A Kyiv authoritative said Ukraine’s service fired artillery astatine North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk borderline region.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Korea dictator Kim Jong Un. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images, left, and KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency, right.)

"Terror, unfortunately, tin dispersed similar a microorganism erstwhile it does not conscionable capable counteraction. Now our counteraction indispensable beryllium sufficient, beardown enough. The archetypal battles with North Korean soldiers person opened a caller section of instability successful the world," Zelenskyy said successful his nightly video code arsenic helium thanked Ukraine’s allies astir the world.

"Together with the world, we indispensable bash everything truthful that this Russian measurement to grow the warfare with existent escalation fails. Both for Russia and South Korea."

South Korea's Defense Ministry said connected Tuesday that much than 10,000 North Korean troops had arrived successful Russia, with a "significant number" successful the frontline areas, including the Kursk region, wherever Ukrainian forces staged an incursion successful August.

Defence Minister Rustem Umerov told South Korean authorities tv determination had been a "small engagement" with the North Korean troops, per Reuters. The report, with excerpts from the interview, quoted Umerov arsenic saying that the engagement was tiny and not yet systematic successful presumption of mobilizing soldiers.

FILE: In this photograph provided by the North Korean government, North Korean person Kim Jong Un, left, supervises artillery firing drills successful North Korea, connected March 7, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Umerov reportedly said helium expects that 5 North Korean units, each consisting of astir 3,000 soldiers, volition beryllium deployed to the Kursk area. North Korean soldiers are mixed with Russian troops and are misidentified connected their uniforms, Umerov was quoted arsenic saying, according to the Associated Press.

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Russia is reported to person 1.3 cardinal active-duty soldiers with different 2 cardinal successful reserves. Russia is present seeing its highest fig of casualties than astatine immoderate different clip since the warfare began, with immoderate 1,200 casualties reported a day, claimed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken past week. Despite the precocious fig of unit casualties, determination inactive does not look to beryllium immoderate extremity successful show to the warfare — validating aboriginal concerns that this would beryllium a warfare of attrition. 

Zelenskyy has been sounding the alarm that the caller deployment of North Korean troops successful Russia not lone spells occupation for Ukraine, but besides draws into question the stableness and information of nations successful Asia that are allied with the West.

"North Korea’s actions aren’t random," Zelenskyy said successful a frank interview with South Korea’s nationalist broadcasting web KBS connected Thursday. "They person strategical goals."

"Their actions aren’t coincidental — they privation Russia’s enactment successful return," helium added successful comments besides posted to his societal media relationship connected X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a associated property league with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, successful Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool Photo via AP)

Zelenskyy has called connected South Korea to instrumentality a bigger relation successful the struggle and has said that South Korea has already pledged to nonstop a squad of specialists to Ukraine wherever they volition collaborate connected antiaircraft capabilities, including aerial defense, arsenic North Korea besides provides Russian with artillery and missiles.

"If South Korea wants to recognize the existent capabilities of North Korea and its soldiers, it would payment them to beryllium here, to spot and analyse the world firsthand," helium said. Consider how adjacent North Korea is to Seoul [25-30 miles], the scope of modern artillery, not adjacent missiles." 

"Air defenses can’t antagonistic artillery strikes. Our ain towns were obliterated by artillery. I anticipation South Korea ne'er faces this, but mentation is critical," Zelenskyy added.

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Soldiers march successful a parade for the 70th day of North Korea's founding time successful Pyongyang, North Korea, connected Sept. 9, 2018.  (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Zelenskyy besides called into question China’s "silence" with respect to the North’s caller engagement successful the war. 

Meanwhile, North Korea was reported to person fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles into the oversea connected Tuesday.

The motorboat came days aft North Korean person Kim Jong-un supervised a formation trial of the country's newest intercontinental ballistic rocket designed to scope the U.S. mainland. In effect to that launch, the United States flew a long-range B-1B bomber successful a trilateral drill with South Korea and Japan on Sunday successful a amusement of force.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.