In a significant move, North Korea has confirmed that it sent combat troops to Russia to aid in the ongoing war against Ukraine. According to officials, the deployment aims to help Russia reclaim the Kursk region, which Ukraine had seized during a surprise incursion last year.
Estimates from U.S., South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence suggest that about 10,000 to 12,000 North Korean soldiers were dispatched last fall. Although rumors had circulated for months, North Korea officially acknowledged the deployment only now, days after Russia announced it had fully regained control over the Kursk area—an assertion Ukraine disputes.
This military collaboration follows a mutual defense pact signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024, marking the strongest defense agreement between the two nations since the end of the Cold War.
Global leaders are closely monitoring the development, with concerns rising over further escalation in the conflict and the deepening military alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow.