Ukraine war latest: Kyiv confirms first battles between Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast

Key developments on Nov. 5:
The first clashes between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and North Korean soldiers have already taken place in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed on Nov. 5 in an interview with South Korean TV channel KBS.
North Korea deployed 11,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the day before, citing Ukraine’s intelligence report.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, also claimed on Nov. 4 that the first North Korean soldiers stationed in this area have come under fire.
“We are identifying clashes with North Korean forces, but we believe there will be more fighting in the next few weeks, and we will continue to analyze and revise accordingly,” Umerov said.
The clashes were small-scale, according to Umerov.
The minister added that the DPRK soldiers were “disguised as Buryats” (an Asian people group inside Russia’s borders) and mixed with Russian soldiers, so all the identities need to be checked to confirm the exact number of their losses and prisoners.
Kyiv expects five units of 3,000 people each to be deployed along the 1,500-kilometer front line. This will bring the total number of North Koreans involved in the war to 15,000.
The Russian border region has seen heavy battles since Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive in early August. Moscow has deployed North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast to reinforce lines there while its most experienced units continue advancing in Ukraine’s east.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that if Ukraine had permission to use Western long-range weapons on Russian territory, it could preemptively target “every camp” in Russia where North Korean troops are gathering.
According to Zelensky, Russia has confirmed to the West the involvement of Pyongyang’s forces in the war.
The recruitment center of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland has received over 500 applications in a month from Ukrainians living in 30 countries, Ukrinform reported on Nov. 5, citing the center’s officials.
The legion was unveiled in July as a volunteer military unit made up of Ukrainian men living in Poland and trained by the Polish Armed Forces. The first volunteer recruitment center was opened in October at the Ukrainian consulate in the eastern Polish city of Lublin.
The unit is part of an effort to replenish the ranks of Ukraine’s military as the all-out war with Russia goes on for over two and half years.
Most applications came from Poland and Czechia, but Ukrainians living in the U.K., Ireland, the U.S., and Canada also submitted requests, Ukrinform wrote. While the center’s officials believe that not all applicants will end up signing a contract, they deem the turnout to be a good first result.
The legion will allow Ukrainians to join the fight while being able to return to Poland after completing their service. Under martial law instituted in 2022 after the start of the full-scale war, Ukrainian men aged 18-60 are not permitted to leave Ukraine without permission.
The U.N. estimates that 6.7 million Ukrainians were driven abroad as a result of Russia’s all-out invasion. This is in addition to a sizeable diaspora living in Europe, the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere since before 2022.
The first volunteers are expected to sign a contract before the end of the year and begin training in Polish training grounds. Around 90% of the applicants were men, and roughly 80% had no previous military experience, Ukrinform reported.
Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) and three key allies have expressed “grave concerns” over North Korea’s military deployment in Russia and are working on a “coordinated response,” according to the joint statement published on Nov. 5.
Besides the G7 members, including the U.S., Japan, Italy, the U.K., Germany, France, Canada, and the High Representative of the European Union, the statement was also signed by South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Several thousands of DPRK troops have been deployed to Russia. The DPRK’s direct support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, besides showing Russia’s desperate efforts to compensate its losses, would mark a dangerous expansion of the conflict, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific peace and security,” the statement read.
“It would be a further breach of international law, including the most fundamental principles of the U.N. Charter.”
Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) and three key allies have expressed “grave concerns” over North Korea’s military deployment in Russia and are working on a “coordinated response,” according to the joint statement published on Nov. 5.
Besides the G7 members, including the U.S., Japan, Italy, the U.K., Germany, France, Canada, and the High Representative of the European Union, the statement was also signed by South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Several thousands of DPRK troops have been deployed to Russia. The DPRK’s direct support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, besides showing Russia’s desperate efforts to compensate its losses, would mark a dangerous expansion of the conflict, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific peace and security,” the statement read.
“It would be a further breach of international law, including the most fundamental principles of the U.N. Charter.”
By asking Poland to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky is attempting to get Warsaw involved in the war, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said in an interview with Radio ZET on Nov. 4.
Gawkowski’s comments came amid a growing diplomatic spat between Kyiv and Warsaw, revolving around the Polish support for Ukraine as well as historical grievances.
“Zelensky wants Poland to shoot missiles over Ukraine, which means he wants Poland to enter the war, which means he wants Poland to be at war with Russia,” said Gawkowski, who also serves as the digital affairs minister for the co-governing Left coalition.
“By these statements, Zelensky wants to drag Poland into the war with Russia.”
Zelensky recently criticized Poland for not yet providing its remaining MiG-29 fighter jets despite previous agreements.
The president also said he had “constantly asked” Poland to shoot down Russian missiles flying in its direction, particularly to protect the gas storage facility in the town of Stryi in Ukraine’s Lviv Oblast, located nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of the Ukrainian-Polish border.
Russian drones and missiles have previously entered Poland’s airspace during attacks on Ukraine but have never been intercepted by the Polish military. Poland’s allies advised the government to exercise restraint when dealing with unidentified airspace violations, according to Warsaw.
“I feel that the last words that came from President Zelensky are unworthy of a politician who owes Poland a lot,” Gawkowski reacted.
“The equipment that was transferred, the citizens who were taken care of… Poland is a great friend of Ukraine, a transport hub. It seemed to me that in such situations, you say  ‘thank you.'”
Poland has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine on the world stage, campaigning for Kyiv to receive all the required weaponry to win the war that Russia had begun. It has also provided Ukraine with around $3.5 billion in military aid since 2022 and hosts close to 1 million Ukrainian refugees.
Yet, bilateral relations are far from perfect, with the two countries sharing long-standing unresolved grievances. Some of the recent disputes centered around the resolution of the Volyn massacre carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army against Poles during World War II in 1943-44.
Gawkowski was not the only Polish official to respond to Zelensky’s criticism. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski commented that his country has done more for Kyiv “than any other nation.”
“We’re trying to help, but we’re also a front-line country. Russia also threatens us, and not everything is possible,” he added.