Ukrainian and Western officials in fall 2024 warned that over 10,000 North Korean troops had amassed in Kursk Oblast, ready to aid Russia’s attempt to oust Ukrainian forces in the region. The move represents an unprecedented escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“Today, we already have preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults — a significant number of them,” Zelensky said in a video address.

“The Russians include them in combined units and use them in operations in Kursk Oblast.”

North Korean troops have not yet joined Russian forces in any other areas of the front, but this could change, Zelensky added

Zelensky also reported that North Korean units have sustained “noticeable losses”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has “dragged another state into this war”, Zelensky stated.

“And if this is not escalation, then what is the escalation that so many have been talking about?”

The first clashes between North Korean and Ukrainian troops in Kursk Oblast were reported in early November. Zelensky reported in early December that North Korean soldiers had already been killed fighting for Russia, but did not specify figures.

Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened their alliance 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. In exchange, Moscow has allegedly given Pyongyang economic support and assistance with its nuclear weapons program.

Ukrainian forces launched a shock offensive into Kursk Oblast in August. Russia began a counterattack in September and has reportedly taken back 40% of the territory initially captured by Ukraine.

Commenting on the ruling party’s endeavours in helping to incorporate and develop the new regions that have joined the country, Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the nation‘s security council and the head of the United Russia party, suggested that this experience could one day come in handy again.

“This experience may be in demand in the future if new regions very close to us appear in our country, because this is possible,” he noted.

In 2022, four former Ukrainian territories, including the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, held public referendums where they decided to break with Kiev and become part of Russia.

Before that, in 2014, the citizens of Crimea, a historically Russian region, had voted to leave Ukraine and return to Moscow.

Ukraine and its Western backers have refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of these referendums; Kiev has continued to claim authority over these territories and vowed to retake all of them.

Moscow however, has repeatedly urged Kiev to accept the new realities “on the ground,” with President Vladimir Putin calling the complete withdrawal of all Ukrainian forces from all Russian territories a key prerequisite for peace talks.