North Korean soldiers have engaged in combat operations against Ukraine alongside their Russian allies, South Korea's spy agency said on Wednesday. Seoul's confirmation comes amid growing global criticism as the two countries strengthen military ties,

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 region.

North Korean soldiers deployed to the Kursk region of Russia have begun combat operations against Ukrainian troops, the U.S. State Department confirmed Tuesday.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel says on November 12 that the majority of some 10,000 North Korean troops sent to support Russia’s war against Ukraine are now “engaging in combat operations” in Russia’s western Kursk region.