Russian state news agency TASS has published video footage showing North Korean troops training on Russian soil, days after Moscow officially confirmed their involvement in the war against Ukraine.
The footage shows North Korean soldiers conducting live-fire exercises and combat drills at a Russian military training ground. It comes as Russian and North Korean officials confirm that Pyongyang has sent forces to support Moscow’s campaign.
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On Saturday, April 26, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin that North Korean troops had helped “liberate” parts of the Kursk region – the first time Moscow has publicly acknowledged their involvement.
Speaking during a televised meeting, Gerasimov praised the soldiers’ “perseverance, courage and heroism.”
Rumors of North Korean fighters in Ukraine have circulated since fall 2024, but Moscow had previously dismissed them as a “hype.”
Following Russia’s announcement, North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed Monday that its forces were deployed to Kursk under a mutual defense treaty signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Putin last year.
KCNA said the deployment was ordered by Kim and approved by the country’s Central Military Commission.
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North Korea called the operation part of a mission to repel Ukraine’s “adventurous invasion” and claimed it was fully consistent with international law and the United Nations Charter.
The mutual defense pact commits both countries to providing military support if either is attacked, where Pyongyang is believed to have received military technology in exchange for the troop deployments.
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