SEOUL, Nov. 13 (UPI) --North Korean soldiers deployed to the Kursk region of Russia have begun combat operations against Ukrainian forces, the U.S. State Department confirmed Tuesday. "We are incredibly concerned by Russia's decision to turn to the DPRK to ...

The U.S. says there will be a "firm response" as Ukrainian forces holding ground in Russia's Kursk region now face North Korean troops "engaging in combat."

North Korean troops have begun engaging in combat operations alongside Russian forces, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday, expressing concern that Russia had turned to North Korea for soldiers to fight in its war with Ukraine.

South Korean and US intelligence services have confirmed the participation of North Korean soldiers in hostilities in Russia, particularly in Kursk Oblast. Source: ISW Details: South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported on 13 November that North Korean troops were participating in hostilities in Russia,

Russia has amassed a large force of tens of thousands — including recently arrived North Korean troops — to carry out an assault on the Ukrainian positions in Russia’s Kursk region expected in the coming days,

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with a sophisticated combination of missiles and drones for the first time in 73 days on Wednesday, authorities reported, as the Pentagon said most of the North Korean troops sent to help Moscow's war effort are fighting to drive Ukraine's army off Russian soil in the Kursk border

North Korean soldiers, who were previously sent to Russia, are now in Kursk Oblast and are "already engaging in combat" operations against Ukraine. Source: Yonhap, citing South Korea's spy agency Details: The intelligence service reported that "North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia have moved to Kursk Oblast over the past two weeks and their deployment to battlefields has been completed".

Ukrainian officials expect a counteroffensive in western Russia to begin in the coming days as North Korea’s troops train with Russian forces.

Russia struck Kyiv with a sophisticated missile and drone attack for the first time in 73 days on Wednesday morning and damage is still being assessed, a top official in the Ukrainian capital said. Air raid warnings blared for hours.