U.S. says North Korean troops already fighting alongside Russian troops in Kursk region

North Korean soldiers have begun fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region, U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

“Over 10,000 [North Korean] soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces,” Reuters quoted Patel as saying.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Russia had assembled about 50,000 troops in the Kursk region, including both Russian and North Korean soldiers. The paper said Ukrainian officials expected Russia to launch a counteroffensive in the region, which is partially occupied by Ukrainian forces, in the coming days.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on November 7 that North Korean soldiers stationed in the Kursk region had already sustained losses.