Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the first battles between Ukrainian and North Korean forces opened a new chapter of destabilization in the world.

Earlier, in an interview with South Korean KBS television, Ukrainian Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, revealed that Ukrainian troops engaged in a battle with North Korean soldiers, without revealing either the location or the timing.

The Associated Press news agency clarified, citing a Ukrainian government official, that the first clash between Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers occurred in the Russian region of Kursk.

Yesterday Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 11,000 North Korean troops had been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region to support Kremlin troops in their effort to oust Ukrainian forces still controlling territory after their surprise invasion last August.