North Korea on April 28 officially confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia, two days after Moscow’s top military leadership acknowledged the move.
State news agency KCNA reported that the ruling Workers’ Party Central Military Commission had sent a written statement to state media, including the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, affirming the deployment.
It said the decision was “fully in line with the provisions and spirit” of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed between Pyongyang and Moscow, calling the dispatch “the most faithful practical expression” of the agreement’s implementation.
In the statement, the Central Military Commission said North Korean forces participated in operations in Russia’s Kursk region “under the order of the Supreme Commander” and declared that the campaign to repel Ukraine’s “adventurous armed invasion” had ended in victory.
The commission said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had determined that the situation triggered Article 4 of the treaty, which obligates both countries to provide military and other assistance if either comes under armed attack, in line with the UN Charter and their respective domestic laws. Kim ordered the deployment and notified Russia, it said.
Kim described the deployed North Korean troops as “representatives of the nation’s honor” and announced plans to erect a monument in the capital commemorating their “heroic achievements.” He also said flowers would be laid at the graves of fallen soldiers, suggesting significant North Korean casualties.
The confirmation from Pyongyang followed a statement from the Kremlin on April 26, when it released details of a video conference between President Vladimir Putin and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Gerasimov said North Korean soldiers and officers had fought alongside Russian troops in repelling Ukrainian attacks and praised their “high professionalism, resilience, courage and heroic acts.”
Although reports suggested North Korean units were deployed to the Kursk front line as early as October 2024, both countries had denied it until now. Even after Ukraine published images and videos purportedly showing captured North Korean soldiers, Moscow dismissed them as “fake news.”
With both governments now formally acknowledging the deployment, analysts say the Kremlin may be preparing to invite Kim Jong-un to Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Leaders of Russia’s key allies are expected to attend, and North Korea’s battlefield contribution could provide further justification for Kim’s participation.
