Putin thanks North Korean soldiers for deployment in Kursk

As he explained in a statement, the combat deployment of the troops was covered by a bilateral treaty on strategic partnership. Putin also claimed that the operation had been in accordance with international law.

Moscow wants to preserve the memory of the dead North Koreans

"The Korean friends acted out of a sense of solidarity, justice and true comradeship," explained Putin in Moscow. Russia will always remember the North Korean soldiers who were killed. He did not comment on whether the deployment of troops from the isolated communist country had ended altogether.

The North Korean leadership also confirmed that its troops had fought in Russia. According to South Korean information, Pyongyang is said to have sent around 11,000 soldiers in the fall of 2024 and 3,000 more at the beginning of this year.

North Koreans in Ukrainian captivity

They were mainly deployed to support Moscow troops who were supposed to drive Ukrainian units out of the Russian border region of Kursk. They suffered heavy losses in the process. A few North Korean soldiers were also taken prisoner by the Ukrainians.

The Russian military leadership declared the recapture of Kursk to be complete last Saturday. However, the situation in the border area is unclear. According to the Kiev military leadership, the Ukrainians are still standing on several square kilometers of Russian territory.