Andrii Kovalenko, head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, wrote on Telegram on Monday morning that the soldiers were located in the town of Kurshchyna.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 31 that around 8,000 North Korean troops have been sent to the Kursk region, which has been partially invaded by Ukraine.

With both Russia and North Korea remaining coy on the deployment of troops, there has only been unofficial information on their whereabouts and when, or if, they will go into combat.

But by taking to social media on Monday to write that “North Korean troops have already come under fire,” Kovalenko has provided official comment, although he provided no further information.

At the time of writing, Kovalenko’s statement in a Telegram post has not been independently verified.

The region, situated along the Russian border, has experienced intense fighting since Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive in early August.

In an apparent attempt o bolster defenses there, Moscow may have stationed North Korean forces while its more seasoned troops continue operations in Ukraine's eastern territories.

Long-range weapons

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has been requesting Western authorization to use long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory so that it could proactively target “every camp” where North Korean soldiers are being gathered.

Last Thursday, Zelenskyy blasted what he called his allies’ “zero” response to Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops for the war in Ukraine.

Kyiv has been issuing warnings that the deployment of North Korean troops in combat is only a matter of days. Ukraine believes that Russia is preparing to send 12,000 North Korean soldiers to join its war, including special forces.