South Korean official says North Korean troops have engaged Ukrainians near Kursk

The decision comes as President Joe Biden works to boost Ukraine’s war effort in the final months of his administration before Ukraine aid critic Donald Trump takes power in January.

Mr Biden gave Ukraine approval to launched US-supplied long-range missiles into Russian territory, a decision that has been widely panned as a clear provocation to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has warned against Western escalation for years.

But Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky has remained adamant his country will lose the war if the US ceases its support.

“We will stay, we will fight. We have our production, but it’s not enough to prevail and I think it’s not enough to survive,” Zelensky told Fox News.

“What is most important is unity between Ukraine and the United States.”

The Kremlin warned there would be a “radical change” in the nature of the conflict should Ukraine use US missiles against Russia.

“Kyiv’s use of long-range missiles to attack our territory would represent the direct involvement of the United States and its satellites in hostilities against Russia, as well as a radical change in the essence and nature of the conflict,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.

The use of landmines has been contentious for decades.

The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention in 1997 prohibited the “use, production, stockpiling and transfer of these weapons”, however the US and Russia were not among the 164 signatories of the ban.

But Ukraine is desperate as Russia continues to send small groups of soldiers every 20 minutes towards contested towns, generating massive problems for the country’s exhausted front line.

North Korean soldiers are active: Seoul

Meanwhile, some 10,900 North Korean troops have been deployed to Kursk as part of Russia’s airborne units and marines, with some already involved in combat in Ukraine.

That claim was made by a South Korean official today, citing intelligence from the country’s spy agency via Reuters.

The deployment of Kim Jong-un’s troops has added fuel to the growing fire in recent weeks, as North Korea also continues to supply arms to Russia for its ongoing war efforts in Ukraine.

Weapons include self-propelled howitzers and multiple rocket launchers, as reported by Lee Seong-kweun, a member of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee.

Given their lack of combat experience, it was initially believed Kim’s troops would be supporting Moscow’s war effort away from the front lines.

Whether the troops would in fact come into contact with Ukrainians on the ground has remained a massive concern.

Zelensky commented on the deployment of Kim’s troops, said the “first battles with North Korea open a new chapter of instability in the world”.

In a related development, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow raised eyebrows, with analysts speculating that the meeting likely covered more than just formalities.

US closes Kyiv embassy

The US embassy in Kyiv warned Wednesday of a “potential significant air attack” and shuttered its doors, following Russia’s vow to respond after Ukraine fired longer-range US missiles at its territory for the first time.

“The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has received specific information of a potential significant air attack on November 20,” it said in a message on its website.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place,” it added.

“The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced.” Russia warned on Tuesday that it would respond after Ukraine fired longer-range US missiles at its territory — a first in the nearly three-year war.

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that a strike on Russia’s Bryansk region on Tuesday “was carried out by ATACMS missiles” — a reference to the US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the attack showed Western countries wanted to “escalate” the conflict.

“We will be taking this as a qualitatively new phase of the Western war against Russia. And we will react accordingly,” Lavrov told a press conference at the G20 summit in Brazil.

Washington this week said it had cleared Ukraine to use ATACMS against military targets inside Russia — a longstanding Ukrainian request.

- with AFP