Around 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia’s Kursk region are fighting Ukrainian forces, a senior Ukrainian government official told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Kyodo News.
The Ukrainian official said fierce fighting had broken out and North Korean soldiers had been killed in some areas, as the United States officially acknowledged Tuesday for the first time that Pyongyang had sent troops to support Russia’s war.
As Ukrainian forces have taken control of part of the Kursk region following a cross-border attack, fears are growing that Russia will launch a large-scale offensive to retake it as soon as possible. North Korean soldiers are believed to have received training in Russia.
North Korea declared Tuesday that it had ratified a defense cooperation treaty with Russia, which includes a provision for mutual assistance if either country is attacked.
The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty was signed in June by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has already ratified the pact.
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