Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Donald Trump, who will return to the White House, and urged the Republican to keep supporting Kyiv against Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
With concerns rising that support for Ukraine could diminish under a second Trump administration, Mr Zelensky praised Mr Trump's "peace through strength" philosophy, calling it t a just peace for Ukraine. Mr Trump has said he would look to end the Ukraine war as soon as possible, with Kyiv wary that he will push for it to give up territory to Moscow.
The Kremlin, in contrast, has reacted cautiously to Mr Trump’s victory. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has "no illusions" about the new Republican president, adding that the US remains an "unfriendly" country directly involved in the war against Russia.
"We have repeatedly said that the U.S. is able to contribute to the end of this conflict. Will this happen, and if so, how ... we will see after [Mr Trump’s inauguration] January."
Meanwhile, Ukraine has reported “small-scale” clashes with North Korean troops in Kursk, marking their first battlefield confrontation with Kim Jong Un’s soldiers, defence minister Rustem Umerov said.
Key Points
- Zelensky congratulates Trump on US election lead
- Kremlin reacts cautiously to Trump’s victory
- North Korea to deploy 10,000 troops to Russia
- Putin shortening training of North Korean troops for frontline
- Zelensky confirms first battle with North Korean soldiers
PINNED | Trump wins US election: What has the Kremlin said?
Wednesday 6 November 2024 11:50
Salma Ouaguira
The Kremlin has responded cautiously following Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
Officials suggested that while Trump’s rhetoric on ending the Ukraine war was noteworthy, it remains to be seen if it will translate into tangible policy changes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made clear that, despite Trump's campaign promises to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Russia viewed the US as an "unfriendly" state that remained deeply involved in the conflict.
"Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country, which is both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state," Mr Peskov told reporters, adding that Moscow would wait to see if Trump’s statements on Ukraine would result in concrete actions.
Despite the continued animosity, Russian state media during the election campaign showed a clear preference for Trump, suggesting some hope in Moscow that his administration could be more amenable to dialogue than the current one.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a former Goldman Sachs banker with prior contacts to Trump’s team, said that a Trump presidency could offer a "new opportunity" for a reset in US-Russia relations.
Putin shortening training of North Korean troops for frontline, says Ukrainian minister
03:30
Salma Ouaguira
The training period before North Korean soldiers join the fight in Vladimir Putin’s invasion has been cut short, Kyiv says.
North Korean troops were expected to undergo a month’s training, Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov said, but that “is now being shortened to... two weeks or one week so that they could get engagement in the battlefield”.
North Korean personnel will finish deploying within a few weeks once they complete training in the Russian Far East, experts have said.
A total of 15,000 troops could be deployed along northeastern, eastern and southeastern parts of the 1,000km (600-mile) frontline in Ukraine, according to Mr Umerov.
Russia has declined to acknowledge that North Korean troops are operating in its territory, but Putin last week did not deny reports of their presence. He said it was up to Russia how to implement its defence pact with Pyongyang.
Biden rushes assistance to Ukraine amid fears of Trump
03:29
Arpan Rai
The White House plans to rush billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine before president Joe Biden leaves office in January, sources said yesterday, hoping to shore up the government in Kyiv before president-elect Donald Trump’s 20 January inauguration.
The Biden administration aims to send at least $9bn in military aid to Ukraine.
“The administration plans to push forward... to put Ukraine in the strongest position possible” a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity, before its term ends in January.
Mr Trump has been critical of Biden’s assistance for Ukraine, fueling concern about the future of support for president Volodymyr Zelensky’s government under a Republican-controlled White House, Senate and possibly the House of Representatives.
Trump and South Korea’s Yoon discuss North Korean troops in Russia
03:06
Arpan Rai
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol held a telephone call with US president-elect Donald Trump and discussed continuing close ties across all areas in security and economic fields, a senior South Korean official said today.
Both the leaders shared concerns over North Korea’s deployment of troops backing Russia in the war against Ukraine and Pyongyang’s continued military provocations including ballistic missile launches, the official told reporters.
“They shared the view they need to discuss these issues in person and agreed to meet at an early time once they are able to set a date and location,” Yoon’s deputy national security adviser, Kim Tae-hyo, said.
Mr Yoon congratulated Mr Trump on winning the presidency on the “Make America Great Again” slogan and said the success of the three-way cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States was due in part to the foundation laid by Trump’s first presidency, Mr Kim said.
Ukrainian and North Korean troops clash for first time in war
03:00
Salma Ouaguira
Ukrainian forces have engaged in “small-scale” clashes with North Korean troops in Kursk, Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said.
“Yes, I think so. It is (an) engagement,” Mr Umerov told South Korea’s KBS television in an interview broadcast yesterday, when asked if a clash had occurred.
The report quoted Mr Umerov as saying that the engagement was small for now, but more are expected as the number of North Koreans deployed grows.
“(There are) already contacts, but after a couple of weeks, we would see a more significant number and upon this, we will review it and analyse it,” he said.
Mr Umerov said the Russian military was trying to pass off the North Korean soldiers as Buryats, a Mongolian ethnic group from Siberia, making their identification more challenging for Kyiv.
Drone attack in Kyiv damages apartment, no injuries
02:45
Arpan Rai
Russian drones struck a district of Kyiv just outside the city centre early today, with authorities reporting damage to an apartment and garages being set ablaze, but no injuries.
Air defences were in operation after midnight in the Ukrainian capital.
Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said an apartment had been badly damaged and garages had been set on fire in the Holosiivskyi district.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said falling drone fragments had triggered the fires. Emergency crews were on their way to the scene.
Air raid alerts remained in effect in Kyiv and through most of central and southern Ukraine for more than an hour.
North Korea’s troops heading to Ukraine’s frontline as cannon fodder: ‘They will surely be killed’
02:30
Salma Ouaguira
The G7, involving some of the world’s richest nations, have made clear that they believe the reports of thousands of North Korean troops being used to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine show Vladimir Putin’s “desperation” to compensate for losses on the frontline.
Putin’s forces are believed to be losing hundreds of troops a day, with Ukrainian estimates going as high as 1,200 to 1,500, so the more than 10,000 troops South Korea believes are in Russia would last two weeks or so at that rate.
“In the big picture, even 12,000 soldiers don’t affect the general situation of the war significantly,” says Emil Kastehelmi, who runs the Black Bird Group, which tracks the war in Ukraine.
Pictured: Russian man holds single picket against the US policy in Ukraine
02:15
Salma Ouaguira
UN chief ‘very concerned’ about North Korean troops in Russia
02:00
Salma Ouaguira
ICYMI: American convicted on drug-related charges in Russia loses appeal
01:45
Salma Ouaguira
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
01:30
Salma Ouaguira
Pictured: Street art appears at Independence Square in Kyiv
01:15
Salma Ouaguira
South Korea and EU condemn North Korea's reported troop dispatch to Russia
01:00
Salma Ouaguira
MP claims ‘expendable’ Russians used to exhaust Ukraine’s soldiers
00:45
Salma Ouaguira
A Russian MP has sparked outrage after boasting that Moscow uses “expendable” troops to deplete Ukraine’s strongest soldiers, describing them as “meat” to be “ground up” in battle.
Alexander Borodai, a member of President Vladimir Putin’s ruling party, made the controversial remarks about Russia’s irregular military units, often made up of soldiers who sign short-term contracts with the state or regional authorities.
These fighters, who typically earn salaries well above Russia’s average wage, are viewed in Moscow as dispensable, according to Mr Borodai.
Attacking the recruits, he said: “These people have no social value,. They’re bought, like meat.”
He added that their primary role was to “exhaust enemy forces” while other Russian units prepared for major offensives.
“No one expects these forces to achieve anything. They are simply human resources being expended,” he said.
The MP claimed that the war had forced Ukraine to send “young, strong, healthy” men against Russia’s “spare” troops, depleting Kyiv’s reserves.
The average age of a Ukrainian soldier is now estimated to be 45.
VOICES | Chris Stevenson: A Trump presidency won’t necessarily be the gift for Putin Moscow thinks it is…
00:30
Salma Ouaguira
Washington is by far Kyiv’s largest military backer – and any loss in support will mean more deaths on the frontline, writes Chris Stevenson.
But if a push to end the war does come from the White House, that also poses a problem for the Kremlin:
Trump wins US election: What has the Kremlin said?
00:15
Salma Ouaguira
The Kremlin has responded cautiously following Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
Officials suggested that while Trump’s rhetoric on ending the Ukraine war was noteworthy, it remains to be seen if it will translate into tangible policy changes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made clear that, despite Trump’s campaign promises to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Russia viewed the US as an “unfriendly” state that remained deeply involved in the conflict.
“Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country, which is both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state,” Mr Peskov told reporters, adding that Moscow would wait to see if Trump’s statements on Ukraine would result in concrete actions.
Despite the continued animosity, Russian state media during the election campaign showed a clear preference for Trump, suggesting some hope in Moscow that his administration could be more amenable to dialogue than the current one.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a former Goldman Sachs banker with prior contacts to Trump’s team, said that a Trump presidency could offer a “new opportunity” for a reset in US-Russia relations.
What we know about North Korean troops joining Russia’s war in Ukraine
00:00
Salma Ouaguira
US presses China to rein in North Korea and Russia as tensions rise
Wednesday 6 November 2024 23:45
Salma Ouaguira
Germany first EU nation to discuss response to North Korean troops in Russia
Wednesday 6 November 2024 23:30
Salma Ouaguira
Germany is the first nation to discuss its response to North Korea’s military involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said he had discussed with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock the “need for decisive action” in response to North Korean involvement in the war with Russia.
“We urge Europe to realise that the DPRK [North Korea’s official name Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] troops are now carrying an aggressive war in Europe against a sovereign European state,” he told a briefing after meeting Ms Baerbock in Kyiv.
Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking later during his nightly video address, said a meeting of top commanders had considered a report by Ukrainian intelligence on the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. He repeated his call for greater action from Ukraine’s Western allies.
“There are already 11,000 in the Kursk region,” Mr Zelensky said, referring to the southern Russian region where Ukrainian troops have seized chunks of land since an incursion there in August.
“We see an increase in North Koreans, but we don’t see any increase in the reaction from our partners.”
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
Wednesday 6 November 2024 23:00
Salma Ouaguira
Who does Putin actually want to win the election? As a Russian American, I know the answer
Wednesday 6 November 2024 22:45
Salma Ouaguira
ICYMI: Germany pledges €200m in winter aid for Ukraine
Wednesday 6 November 2024 22:30
Salma Ouaguira
Germany will give Ukraine another €200 m (£167m) in aid to support the country during its third winter at war with Russia, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said during a visit to Kyiv yesterday.
Ms Baerbock has stressed Germany’s continued backing for Ukraine during the trip, which comes amid growing nerves over the impact today’s election in the United States will have on military support for the country.
Russia has no illusions about Trump, vows to defend national interests
Wednesday 6 November 2024 22:15
Salma Ouaguira
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said it has “no illusions” about Donald Trump and vowed to defend its national interests.
In a statement, the Kremlin said that Moscow would engage with the incoming US administration under President Donald Trump.
The statement added that Russia’s priorities in relation to its ongoing military operation in Ukraine would remain unchanged.
It also reiterated its focus on achieving the objectives of what it refers to as its “special military operation,” underscoring that its position on the conflict would not be influenced by the change in leadership in Washington.
In pictures: Ukrainian soldiers in Kharkiv
Wednesday 6 November 2024 22:00
Salma Ouaguira
North Korean troops engaged in combat in Kursk for first time, US officials say
Wednesday 6 November 2024 21:45
Salma Ouaguira
North Korean troops were engaged in combat in Russia’s Kursk in recent days for the first time, two U.S. officials told Reuters.
One of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they took part in combat on 4 November.
The officials did not say whether there were any North Korean casualties and did not provide further details on the engagement.
Austrian former intelligence official Egisto Ott stands trial over Russian spying links
Wednesday 6 November 2024 21:15
Salma Ouaguira
Egisto Ott, a former Austrian intelligence official, has appeared in court for allegedly violating official secrecy laws, the first charges in a high-profile case linked to Russian espionage.
Mr Ott, who was detained for two months earlier this year, faces accusations of passing sensitive information to Russian intelligence services and to Jan Marsalek, a fugitive entrepreneur with alleged ties to the Kremlin.
The trial has drawn significant attention, particularly given its connection to the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which emerged as the top party in Austria’s September elections for the first time.
Watch: Putin’s awkwardly long handshake with North Korea’s top diplomat
Wednesday 6 November 2024 21:00
Salma Ouaguira
ICYMI: Poland to spend £577m to boost ammunition production
Wednesday 6 November 2024 20:45
Salma Ouaguira
Poland plans to invest 3 billion zlotys (£577 million) to boost ammunition production, according to a bill published late on Monday, aiming to ensure it has sufficient supplies in the event of an attack from Russia.
Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has become Nato’s biggest spender on defence in relation to the size of its economy, with the 2025 budget allocating 4.7 per cent of gross domestic product for the purpose.
“The draft act aims to create opportunities to provide financing for activities aimed at increasing the capacity for ammunition production,” the bill says, with a particular need to expand large-caliber production to bolster the potential of the Polish Armed Forces.
The government aims to adopt the bill during the fourth quarter, according to its website.
Some Nato officials have said the Kremlin might be ready militarily to attack Nato countries in five to eight years’ time, once it has rebuilt its forces after the war in Ukraine. Moscow has regularly dismissed Western suggestions that it might consider an attack on Nato.
In September Maciej Idzik, a board member of the state-owned Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), told Reuters that Warsaw aimed to ramp up its production of 155 mm artillery rounds.
G7 and allies warning over use of North Korean troops in Ukraine
Wednesday 6 November 2024 20:30
Salma Ouaguira
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven democracies and three key allies said on Tuesday they were gravely concerned by the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and the possibility they may be used in the war against Ukraine.
“The DPRK’s (North Korea) 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,” the ministers said in a statement.
Besides G7 members the United States, Japan, Italy, Britain, Germany, France and Canada, the statement was also signed by South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
The ministers said they condemned “in the strongest possible terms” increased military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including Russia’s “unlawful procurement” of North Korean ballistic missiles.
They said they were deeply concerned about the potential for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology to North Korea, and would work with international partners “for a coordinated response to this new development”.
Edwina Currie on selling her antiques to raise money for Ukraine
Wednesday 6 November 2024 20:15
Salma Ouaguira
Russia denies involvement in US bomb hoaxes and plot to target planes
Wednesday 6 November 2024 20:00
Salma Ouaguira
Russia has rejected claims that it was behind a series of hoax bomb threats targeting polling stations in the United States on election day, as well as reports suggesting a Russian plot to plant incendiary devices on planes.
Moscow dismissed the accusations after the FBI revealed that multiple bomb threats had been made on Tuesday against voting locations in key battleground states, including Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Many of these threats appeared to originate from email domains linked to Russia, raising suspicions of foreign interference, though no bombs were found at the sites.
In addition to the bomb hoaxes, US security officials indicated that parcels which exploded at logistics depots in Europe were allegedly part of a test for a potential Russian plot to place incendiary devices on cargo flights to the US.
Authorities suggested that these incidents could be a precursor to more serious attacks aimed at disrupting US-bound cargo traffic.
However, Russia categorically denied any involvement in these activities, calling the reports unfounded.
Zelensky ‘looking forward to era of strong US under Trump’
Wednesday 6 November 2024 19:45
Salma Ouaguira
Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory!
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against…
Ukraine claims to have shot down 71% of Russian drones
Wednesday 6 November 2024 19:30
Salma Ouaguira
Russia has launched 4,300 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones on Ukraine over the past three months, Ukraine has said.
Kyiv claims their air defence destroyed 71% of them but 5% made direct hits.
In addition, the Air Force’s daily reports mark some of them as “disappeared from radar”, which means some of the drones were either subject to countermeasures by electronic warfare units or failed to reach their targets
North Korean troops clashed with Ukrainian forces in Kursk
Wednesday 6 November 2024 19:15
Salma Ouaguira
North Korean troops engaged in clashes against Ukrainian forces that are fighting in the Russian Kursk region, the New York Timesreported late last night, citing an unnamed senior US official and an unnamed senior Ukrainian official.
The engagement was limited and likely meant to probe the Ukrainian lines for weaknesses, the Ukrainian official said. The Ukrainian official added that the North Korean troops fought together with Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade.
The US official told the newspaper that a significant number of North Korean troops were killed.
The office of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian defence ministry, the Russian defence ministry, the Pentagon and the US Department of State have not issued a comment on the report.
Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the first clash, describing it as a “small-scale” skirmish, had taken place between Ukrainian and North Korean troops.
“Yes, I think so. It is (an) engagement,” Mr Umerov told South Korea’s KBS television in an interview broadcast yesterday, when asked if a clash had occurred. He said the engagement was small for now, but more are expected as the number of North Koreans deployed grows.
Ukrainian troops launched an incursion into Russia’s border Kursk region on 6 August, taking a number of settlements under control in the first such deployment onto the Russian territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine destroys 38 Russian drones overnight
Wednesday 6 November 2024 19:00
Salma Ouaguira
Ukraine’s air defence units destroyed 38 Russian drones overnight, its air force said this morning.
Another 22 Russian drones were lost over the Ukrainian territory and its airspace, the air force said on Telegram, without providing further details.
The air force has said before that lost drones are usually intercepted by electronic warfare. The air force also said that Russia launched two missiles on the southern Odesa region late last night.
Russia confirms military pact with North Korea
Wednesday 6 November 2024 18:45
Salma Ouaguira
Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has ratified a military agreement with North Korea that promises mutual assistance in the event of an attack.
The treaty, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to Pyongyang in June, states that both countries would provide military support “by all means” if either is attacked.
The deal marks the most significant military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Cold War.
The treaty had already been ratified by the lower house, the State Duma, on 24 October.
This comes amid growing concerns over North Korean involvement in Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine.
On Monday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed reports that up to 10,000 North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region.
These troops are reportedly preparing to join Russian forces in Ukraine, marking the first large-scale deployment of North Korean forces in a foreign conflict since the Korean War in 1950.
In full: Zelensky congratulates Trump on US election victory
Wednesday 6 November 2024 18:30
Salma Ouaguira
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election, hoping for a “strong bipartisan support” his country in its fight against Russia.
It comes after concerns were voiced among Ukraine’s allies that US support for Ukraine could wane under a Trump presidency.
Mr Zelensky said: “I appreciate president Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.
“We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States. We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations.
“Ukraine, as one of Europe’s strongest military powers, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the transatlantic community with the support of our allies.
“I am looking forward to personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine’s strategic partnership with the United States.”
Who does Putin actually want to win the election? As a Russian American, I know the answer
Wednesday 6 November 2024 18:00
Salma Ouaguira
It’s not only the American public holding its breath in anticipation as the vote projections for the Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump presidential contest roll in. Russian president Vladimir Putin is among those watching closely, with much at stake in the outcome.
The Kremlin seems undecided about whom it would prefer to see as the next US president. Putin clearly understands that, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office, the US stance toward Russia is likely to remain unfriendly. In fact, some animosity between Trump and the Kremlin has been playing out over the past few months.
Regardless of who wins, the Kremlin has reportedly developed two alternative plans for resolving the military conflict with Ukraine — one in the event that Trump wins and another for if Harris becomes president.
Svetlana Satchkova writes:
ICYMI: Russian pro-war Putin critic Igor Girkin loses appeal in court
Wednesday 6 November 2024 17:45
Salma Ouaguira
Prominent Russian nationalist and former militia commander Igor Girkin has lost his appeal against a four-year prison sentence, the Supreme Court ruled.
Girkin, who rose to notoriety under the nickname Igor Strelkov during the fighting in eastern Ukraine nearly a decade ago, was convicted in January by a Moscow court for inciting extremism - a charge he has denied.
The former top military commander of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” became a controversial figure after publicly criticising President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military’s handling of the war in Ukraine.
Despite Girkin’s appeal, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.
In pictures: Life in Kyiv, Ukraine
Wednesday 6 November 2024 17:30
Salma Ouaguira
Nato chief warns of ‘deeply dangerous’ moment for world
Wednesday 6 November 2024 17:15
Salma Ouaguira
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has called North Korea’s troops fighting in Europe a “turning point”, warning the world of a “deeply dangerous” moment.
“This dangerous expansion of the conflict escalates the war and demonstrates that our security is not regional, it is global,” he wrote for Politico.
“These deepening military and economic ties between a reckless Russia and an emboldened North Korea don’t just threaten Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security, they are deeply dangerous for global security,” the Nato chief said.
Calling the Russian invasion ill-judged, Mr Rutte said: “On every front, Putin is failing to achieve his strategic objectives through this illegal and ill-judged war of aggression. While we seek a just and lasting end to the conflict, he’s only prolonging and expanding it.
“President Vladimir Putin’s litany of failures since starting this senseless war has only made Russia more reliant on its authoritarian friends in Asia: China, Iran and North Korea,” he said.
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers fight in the Serebryansky forest
Wednesday 6 November 2024 17:00
Salma Ouaguira
US presses China to rein in North Korea and Russia as tensions rise
Wednesday 6 November 2024 16:40
Salma Ouaguira
US confirms North Korean clashes in Kursk for first time
Wednesday 6 November 2024 16:25
Salma Ouaguira
US officials have confirmed that North Korean troops have been engaging in combat in the Russian border in Kursk in recent days, Reuters reports.
It comes after Ukraine previously announced “small-scale” clashes with North Korean troops in Kursk, marking their first battlefield confrontation with Kim Jong Un’s soldiers.