The Ukrainian military has clashed for the first time with North Korean forces that were sent to Russia to support Moscow’s invasion, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed on Tuesday. In an interview with South Korean media, he said there had been “minor clashes” between Ukrainian forces and the North Korean military, without providing further details.

The day before, Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Countering Disinformation Centre, said that North Korean soldiers “have already come under fire” in Russia’s Kursk region. Asked whether this meant North Korea’s official entry into the war, Umerov replied: “Yes, I think so. It was a clash”.

“We expect more such clashes in the coming weeks,” the minister added.

According to the Pentagon, as of Monday, there are more than 10,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region who have arrived to support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies to lift the ban on long-range missile strikes on Russian territory so that Ukraine can strike North Korean troops.

“Everyone is just waiting for the North Korean military to start attacking Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.