**North Korean Troops Fighting Alongside Russians in Ukraine**
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on December 14 that a significant number of North Korean soldiers are now fighting alongside Russian forces in assault operations in Kursk Oblast. This is an unprecedented escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Zelensky warned that over 10,000 North Korean troops had amassed in the region earlier this year to aid Russia’s attempts to oust Ukrainian forces. The President said that Russian forces are including North Korean soldiers in combined units and using them in operations in Kursk Oblast.
**Notable Losses**
Zelensky also reported that North Korean units have sustained “noticeable losses” alongside Russian troops in the region. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging another state into this war, saying: “And if this is not escalation, then what is the escalation that so many have been talking about?”
**Russian-North Korea Alliance Deepens**
The alliance between Russia and North Korea has deepened over the course of the full-scale war. The two nations signed a defense treaty in June requiring either state to render military aid to the other in the event of an attack.
North Korea has reportedly provided Russia with over 100 ballistic missiles and 5 million artillery shells, while Moscow has allegedly given Pyongyang economic support and assistance with its nuclear weapons program.
**Ukraine Loses Territory**
Russia began a counterattack in September after Ukrainian forces launched a shock offensive into Kursk Oblast in August. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has classified the incident as a terrorist attack and detained a 37-year-old resident suspected of acting on instructions from Russian special services.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been hospitalized with chemical poisoning, and three have died.