While we’re waiting for the supposed reprisal from Iran, which will mean Israel will retaliate, what’s going on in Ukraine?
North Korea Enters Ukraine Fight for First Time, Officials Say
North Korean troops have entered the fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, clashing for the first time with Ukrainian forces who are occupying a large chunk of Russia’s Kursk region, according to a senior Ukrainian official and a senior U.S. official.
The engagement was limited, the Ukrainian official said, and likely meant to probe the Ukrainian lines for weaknesses. The North Koreans fought together with Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, the official said.
It was unclear when the fighting took place. The Ukrainian official offered no details about casualties, but the U.S. official said a significant number of North Korean troops were killed. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive military information.
The North Korean troops are part of what Ukrainian and Western officials estimate to be a contingent of about 10,000 soldiers sent by the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, to bolster Russian forces trying to dislodge the Ukrainians from the Kursk region. Ukraine’s forces currently hold about 250 square miles there after an incursion that began last summer.
Well, obviously, the US needs to send tens of billions more in cash and weapons to Ukraine. They aren’t doing more then holding the Russians off, but, the big wigs and politicians in Ukraine are seeing their bank balances grow.
In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine seemed to confirm that North Korean forces had entered the fight, and he called on Ukraine’s allies to assist in confronting this new threat.
“The first battles with North Korean soldiers mark a new chapter of global instability,” he said. “Together with the world, we must do everything to ensure that this Russian step toward expanding the war — this true escalation — becomes a loss.”
Will it escalate, though? There’s not much in the European press about Ukraine, including this. It’s not topline news. The EU leaders aren’t calling for dumping more weapons into Ukraine. They aren’t making speeches. Perhaps the concern for Ukraine is waning? Right now it’s just a stalemate, and the longer it goes on the greater the chance of escalation that drags NATO in.
