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North Korea Officially Confirms Deployment of Troops to Russia to Fight Against Ukraine
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
For the first time, North Korea has officially confirmed it sent troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, marking a major escalation in Pyongyang’s direct involvement in the Russian war against Ukraine, South Korean media outlet Yonhap reported on April 28.
According to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), soldiers from the North Korean military were deployed to Russia “by the order” of leader Kim Jong-un under a mutual defense treaty signed with Moscow. The announcement, reported by Yonhap News Agency, claims North Korean forces helped Russian troops “liberate” the region of Kursk from Ukrainian forces.
“The operations for liberating the Kursk area to repel the adventurous invasion of the Russian Federation by the Ukrainian authorities were victoriously concluded,” the KCNA said, adding that North Korean units participated “according to the order of the country’s head of state,” Kim Jong-un.
According to the KCNA, after determining that conditions met the requirements for invoking the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed with Russia, Kim personally authorized North Korea’s armed forces to participate in the war and notified Moscow.
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the defense pact during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June 2024, committing both countries to mutual military assistance in case of war.
The KCNA insisted that the deployment of troops “fully conforms” with the United Nations Charter, other international laws, and the bilateral treaty, describing it as “a model example” of faithful international cooperation.
Kim called the soldiers’ involvement “a sacred mission to further consolidate” North Korea’s friendship with Russia and “defend the honor” of the nation. “They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland,” Kim said, adding that a monument honoring the fallen soldiers would soon be erected in Pyongyang.
The statement is Pyongyang’s first public acknowledgment of casualties among its deployed forces, following months of reports that thousands of North Korean soldiers were fighting — and dying — on Russian soil.
North Korea’s announcement came just two days after Russia’s top military officer, General Valery Gerasimov, also confirmed North Korean participation in combat during a videoconference with Putin, praising their role in retaking Kursk.
Since October 2024, more than 10,000 North Korean troops have reportedly been sent to the Russian frontlines. South Korean intelligence estimates an additional 3,000 were deployed to Kursk earlier this year. Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers alive in January, further exposing Pyongyang’s role.
The growing alliance between North Korea and Russia comes as both regimes face deepening isolation and Western sanctions. In return for military support, Moscow is reportedly supplying Pyongyang with badly needed economic assistance.
KCNA declared that the “invincible” North Korea-Russia friendship, proven “in the flames of combat,” would deepen future cooperation between the two nations.
Earlier, reports emerged that North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought significant economic and military gains for Pyongyang, according to new analyses from South Korean and international sources, that stated that North Korea has earned more than $20 billion through military cooperation with Russia.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
