North Korea staged a military parade in Pyongyang featuring so-called “Kursk veterans” who fought alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, prompting Kyiv to denounce the event as a propaganda spectacle and warn of deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.
The parade, held on the evening of Feb. 25, included North Korean special operations forces and engineering units that reportedly took part in combat operations in Russia’s Kursk region during the war against Ukraine.
Marching through the capital with the Russian tricolor, the troops were honored during a ceremony marking the conclusion of the 9th Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry sharply criticized the display.
“They may appear proud, yet there is nothing to be proud of,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi wrote on X.
“What is missing from this propaganda charade are at least 6,000 North Korean soldiers who did not march in Pyongyang that day. They croaked in an illegal war of aggression 8,000 kilometers away, which they had nothing to do with,” he said.
Tykhyi also warned that Pyongyang’s support for Moscow comes at a price.
“It is critical for the entire world to realize that Kim does not supply this cannon fodder for free; in exchange, he receives concrete and dangerous support from Putin,” he wrote.
He said that the deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang should concern countries across the Indo-Pacific and reiterated Ukraine’s readiness to work closely with partners to address the emerging security threats.
Kyiv has repeatedly accused North Korea of providing military assistance to Russia, including personnel and munitions, amid Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
In the summer of 2025, North Korean state media released images showing leader Kim Jong Un honoring the flag-draped coffins of soldiers killed while supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
About 600 North Korean troops have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said, citing intelligence from Seoul’s spy agency.
The footage showed an emotional Kim placing the national flag over a coffin during a ceremony marking the return of the remains of soldiers deployed to Russia.
The event in Pyongyang was attended by Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova and marked the first anniversary of a military pact between the two countries that includes a mutual defense clause.
State media additionally showed what was described as a handwritten document by Kim approving “operational plans for the liberation of Kursk” and issuing attack orders to special operations units in late 2024.
Pyongyang officially confirmed in April 2025 that it had deployed troops to assist Russia in Ukraine and acknowledged that its soldiers had been killed in combat.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with Kyodo News in Kyiv, warned about the wider security risks posed by Russia’s growing military cooperation with North Korea, describing the development as “extremely dangerous.”
He said Pyongyang has gained valuable battlefield experience through its involvement in the war and revealed that about 10,000 North Korean soldiers are currently stationed in Russia.
“They are learning to counter missiles and different types of drones, including fiber-optic drones – from [first-person view] FPV to long-range drones. They are training now in Russia because we are responding to Russian attacks. So, they have this opportunity,” Zelensky said.
At the very least, he added, North Korean troops could “bring this knowledge home.”