Ukraine reports clashes involving North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reported that “a noticeable number” of North Korean troops have been mobilised in Kursk, Russia, next to the Ukrainian border in what has been described as a new escalation in the 34-month war. South Korea has formerly reported that some 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia. Ukrainian troops began an incursion in Kursk in August in what was seen as a bid to reduce Russian pressure on eastern fronts. Ukraine has since lost nearly half of the ground it gained.