Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that the first battles between Ukrainian and North Korean forces have opened a new chapter of destabilization in the world.

Earlier, in an interview he gave to the South Korean TV KBS, Mr Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov revealed that Ukrainian troops engaged in combat with North Korean soldiers, without disclosing either the location or the time.

The Associated Press news agency clarifies, citing a Ukrainian government official, that the first clash between Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers took place in the Russian region of Kursk.

Yesterday Monday, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region to support Kremlin troops in their bid to oust Ukrainian forces still in control of territory after their surprise invasion last August.