KYIV (Reuters) – Russian troops are trying to advance into western Russia's Kursk region after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops to the border area with Ukraine, Oleksandr said on Monday Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army.
“As ordered by their military leaders, they are trying to dislodge our troops and advance deep into the territory we control,” Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
The general did not refer to a possible presence of North Korean troops within the Russian forces.
Western countries, South Korea and Ukraine have all said North Korea sent troops to Russia.
Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops on its territory, although President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed into law a treaty on the strategic partnership between his country and Pyongyang, which includes a mutual defense clause.
Ukrainian troops launched an incursion into the Russian border region of Kursk in August, taking control of a number of localities. This is the first such deployment on Russian territory since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv, written by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; French version Kate Entringer and Mara Vîlcu)
Related News :