North Korean soldiers have clashed with Ukrainian forces for the first time, top Ukrainian officials have revealed.

In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said a “small group” of North Korean soldiers was attacked.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who had previously condemned the West’s lack of response to North Korean forces, said these “first battles with North Korea open a new chapter of instability in the world.”

However, Seoul said it “does not believe (troops on both sides) are involved in direct fighting” but that an “incident” involving a small number of North Korean soldiers occurred “near the front line”.

Ukraine says an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers were in the Kursk border area, where Ukrainian forces have a foothold.

In recent weeks, South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies, as well as NATO, have said they have seen evidence that North Korean forces are involved in the Russian war.

But Moscow and Pyongyang have so far not responded directly to the accusations.

Andriy Kovalenko, Ukraine’s top counter-disinformation official, said for the first time in a Telegram message on Monday that North Korea’s “first military units… were already under fire in Kursk.”

In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Rustem Umerov confirmed this, saying he expects a “significant number” of North Korean troops to be involved in the battle, although he added that “so far only small contacts, not full involvement. “.

Most of them are still undergoing training, he added.

“They wear Russian uniforms, undergo tactical training and are deployed on the front lines under various commands of the Russian army,” Umerov said.

He said it was likely that five units, each consisting of about 3,000 soldiers, would be deployed across the battlefield.

He would not say whether there were any casualties.

In a daily video address on Wednesday, Zelensky called on Ukraine “together with the world… to do everything to make this Russian move towards expanding the war a failure. Both for them and for North Korea.”

Reports of such a move by North Korea have also alarmed the South, increasing tensions between the two sides.

Late last month, Seoul had summoned the Russian ambassador, requesting the “immediate withdrawal” of North Korean troops from Ukraine. It also warned that it was considering supplying weapons directly to Ukraine.

Analysts have said Pyongyang could be paid or given access to Russian military technology in exchange for the troops.

On Wednesday, Russian lawmakers will vote to ratify a mutual defense treaty with North Korea, first proposed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s lavish visit to Pyongyang in June.

It promises that Russia and North Korea will help each other in the event of “aggression” against either country.