Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirms deadly clashes with North Korean troops 

The fighting reportedly took place in the Kursk region.

The President posted on X: "During the meeting with @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte, I provided an update on the battlefield situation, specifically highlighting the involvement of North Korean troops in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine."

He said a more decisive response from Western countries to North Korea’s new role in the Russia-Ukraine war is needed.

"We also discussed the implementation of decisions made at the NATO Washington Summit, particularly the strengthening of air defense and investments in Ukrainian production of shells, drones, and long-range weapons," the President posted on X.

The President on Thursday claimed 11,000 North Korean soldiers are in the region.

“Eleven thousand North Korean soldiers or soldiers of the North Korean army are currently present on the territory of the Russian Federation in the border with Ukraine on the north of our country in the Kursk region,” Zelensky told reporters as quoted by CNN at the European Political Community summit in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday.

“Some of these troops have already taken part in hostilities against the Ukrainian military. Yes, there are already losses, this is a fact," he said.

Amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine caused by the ongoing Russian invasion, the head of the UN atomic energy agency (IAEA) said that safety at the country’s largest nuclear power plant “remains a deep source of concern”.

Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) – which is also Europe’s biggest nuclear energy facility - has been under Russian control since shortly after it launched a full-scale military campaign in February 2022.

In recent days, an IAEA expert team crossed the frontline to replace colleagues at the Zaporizhzhya plant who have been monitoring nuclear safety and security since September 2022. The presence of the “IAEA Support and Assistance Mission” at ZNPP and four other nuclear facilities is meant “to help prevent a radiological accident during the military conflict”, IAEA said in a statement.

“We will stay at these sites for as long as it is needed to help avert the threat of a nuclear accident that could have serious consequences for human health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. “As the nuclear safety and security situation remains highly challenging, our experts are continuing to play a crucial stabilizing role at all these facilities.”

Media reports indicated ongoing fighting and drone attacks in the vicinity of the Zaporizhyzhya plant in southeastern Ukraine.