Russia, Ukraine give conflicting Zaporizhzhia frontline accounts
ReutersOct 29, 2023
Ukraine Reports First Contact With North Korean Troops
Above: Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov watches soldiers of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, parade pass upon Umerov's arrival for talks at the Defence Ministry on September 04, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Image copyright: Maryam Majd/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Ukrainian forces have engaged with North Korean troops deployed in Russia for the first time, a number of Ukrainian officials said this week.
In a post on Telegram on Tuesday, Andriy Kovalenko, a top Ukrainian counter-disinformation official, said: "The first military units of the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] have already come under fire in Kursk."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
These combat clashes represent North Korea's direct involvement in the war, Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. This is a huge escalation of the conflict that risks undermining geopolitical stability worldwide, and Moscow should think carefully before inflaming and expanding the reach of this conflict further.
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia has enjoyed decades of strong diplomatic and military ties with North Korea, and if Moscow decides to leverage this partnership in order to better defend its territory, that is a sovereign decision and fully compliant with international law. This development is not an escalation.