North Korea Admits Sending Troops to Support Russia in Ukraine War for the First Time
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies, North Korea has, for the first time, officially acknowledged deploying troops to support Russia in the war. The move reportedly came under the direct orders of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. On Monday, North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party lauded what it described as the successful conclusion of the battle in Russia’s Kursk region.
According to North Korea’s state-run news agency, KCNA, the ruling party stated that the outcome in Kursk highlighted “the highest strategic level of the firm militant friendship between North Korea and Russia.” The announcement followed Russia’s earlier claims that Ukrainian forces had been pushed out of a village in the Kursk region—territory they had infiltrated last year. However, Ukraine denied this assertion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded on Sunday by stating that Russian forces had not fully retaken control, and that Ukrainian troops were still active in both Belgorod and other neighboring Russian regions. “Our military continues to carry out operations in the Kursk and Belgorod regions—we maintain our presence on Russian soil,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. He did, however, acknowledge that the situation remains difficult for Ukrainian forces.
KCNA also reported that North Korea’s Central Military Commission had authorized the deployment of troops under the strategic partnership agreement signed by Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024.
“Under the head of state’s order, units of the Republic’s armed forces treated Russian territory as their own and demonstrated the strength of the alliance between the two nations,” the Commission said. Kim Jong Un reportedly hailed the North Korean soldiers involved as heroes who “fought for justice” and represented the “honor of the motherland.”
Ukrainian officials have previously claimed that North Korea sent as many as 14,000 troops to support Russia, including 3,000 reinforcements to replace earlier losses. These forces were said to have suffered significant casualties, due in part to their lack of armored vehicles and limited experience with drone warfare.
Russia, which had remained silent about the deployments until recently, confirmed on Saturday that North Korean troops had been fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region. This joint confirmation from both Pyongyang and Moscow took many observers by surprise, as neither country had previously acknowledged North Korea’s military involvement.
In response, the U.S. State Department expressed deep concern over Pyongyang’s direct participation in the war. A spokesperson said in an email statement that North Korea’s military deployment in support of Russia must cease.
“We remain deeply concerned about North Korea’s direct involvement in the conflict,” the spokesperson said. “North Korea’s military presence in Russia, and any reciprocal support from Moscow, must end. Third-party countries like North Korea bear responsibility for fueling this war.”
