Korea Times: DPRK troops began participating in battles in the Kursk region

The North Korean military began to participate in hostilities against Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, the Korea Times reports.

More than 10 thousand North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia, most of them have already been transferred to Kursk, Patel said. According to him, the Russian side "trained DPRK soldiers in artillery, the use of UAVs and basic infantry skills, including clearing trenches, which are critical skills for frontline operations."

Moscow and Pyongyang has not officially confirmed the dispatch of the North Korean military to Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on Western intelligence reports, stated that Russia had never doubted North Korea's serious attitude to the implementation of Article 4 of the treaty. This article guarantees: "If one of the parties finds itself in a state of war due to an armed attack by one or more states, the other party will immediately provide it with military assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and the laws of the DPRK and Of the Russian Federation".

"What and how we will do is our business, within the framework of this article," Putin said.

Then the North Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed the provision of assistance to Moscow in the military conflict on Ukraine, but did not specify what it consists of.

"From the very beginning of the special military operation, dear comrade Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong—un instructed us, without looking back at anyone, to invariably and powerfully support and assist the Russian army and the Russian people in their holy war," RBC quoted department representative Choi Song-hee.