North Korea Confirms Deployment of Troops to Support Russia Against Ukraine
North Korea has officially confirmed that its military units are participating in combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to the announcement, reported by North Korean state media outlet Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and cited by Reuters.
"Our armed forces units, deployed by order of the Supreme Leader of the. Democratic People's Republic of Korea made a significant contribution to the operation to liberate Russian territory from Ukrainian forces," the statement reads, according to KCNA.
The report notes that North Korean troops were deployed under the mutual defense treaty signed between Pyongyang and Moscow in June 2024. Officials in Pyongyang asserted that the decision to activate Article 4 of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement was based on a detailed assessment of the evolving conflict.
North Korean authorities emphasized that their soldiers operated exclusively within Russia’s internationally recognized borders, asserting that their actions were consistent with the UN Charter and other international agreements. "By the decision of the Supreme Leader, our forces considered the Russian territory where they operated as their own," the statement said, portraying the mission as a demonstration of the "highest level of strategic solidarity" between North Korea and Russia.
Details regarding the size, composition, and casualties of the North Korean contingent were not disclosed. However, Pyongyang announced plans to erect a monument commemorating the "heroic deeds" of North Korean soldiers in Russia.
Earlier, Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov briefed President Vladimir Putin on what he described as the successful "liberation" of the Kursk region, marking the first official acknowledgment by Moscow of North Korean involvement in the war against Ukraine.
As The Gaze reported earlier, North Korea has sent more than 15,800 containers of munitions to Russia over the last 18 months, becoming a key supplier for Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.