Sergei Shoigu meeting with
North Korean minister of defense Kang Sun-nam on 25 July 2023
Initial reports In October 2024, multiple sources reported that
North Korean soldiers were undergoing training in eastern Russia. The South Korean
National Intelligence Service (NIS), which stated that around 1,500 soldiers had been sent for military training, possibly for deployment in Ukraine. In October 2024,
NATO claimed that it had evidence that North Korean soldiers had been sent to Russia.
Ukrainian military intelligence HUR, claimed that the first North Korean soldiers arrived in the Russian
Kursk Oblast on October 25, 2024. On 28 April 2025, North Korea confirmed that they have sent troops to Russia.
Force size and nature North Korea is said to have decided to send around 12,000 troops, including special forces, to support Russia in the Ukraine conflict, including around 500 officers and three generals. The Council of Foreign Relations assessed that the majority of were from the KPA's
Special Operations Forces, other sources also assessed they were from an elite unit. Nevertheless, the quality of the North Korean troops preparing for deployment in the war in Ukraine has been viewed critically.
Ants Kiviselg, the commander of the
Estonian Defense Ministry's intelligence center, stated that North Korean soldiers are usually trained to fight in mountainous terrain and have no experience of operating in Ukraine. He pointed out that they are unfamiliar with the climatic conditions and geography on the ground. He also claimed that the quality of their training in Russia is not high.
Kateryna Stepanenko, an analyst at the
Institute for the Study of War (ISW), pointed out that the term "elite" may not apply for North Korean troops. Despite these assessments, there were voices warning against underestimating the North Korean soldiers. Ukraine informed the UN Security Council that Russia allegedly intended to integrate at least five North Korean
brigades, each with 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers, into its armed forces. According to reports from the US Department of Defense, allegedly about 10,000 North Korean soldiers had arrived in the
border region of Kursk by the end of October 2024. Purportedly among the North Korean units is also Colonel General
Kim Yong Bok, the commander of North Korea's special forces and a close confidant of
Kim Jong Un. South Korean intelligence has alleged that North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia will receive a monthly salary of around $2,000. Ahn Chang Il, a former lieutenant in the
North Korean army, alleged that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia saw their participation in the conflict in Ukraine as an opportunity for social advancement and financial improvement for their families. He also emphasized that the North Korean government promised incentives such as joining the
Workers' Party of Korea, necessary for advancement in North Korea.
Training and mobilization The North Korean soldiers received their training at the Russian military training areas in
Ussuriysk,
Ulan-Ude and , among other places. The soldiers were initially transported by Russian ships to
Vladivostok, where they received Russian uniforms and fake identities to conceal their true origin. Employees of the North Korean embassy were also purportedly taken to a training ground. These apparently took on translation tasks and supervised the soldiers during the exercises. They were transported from Vladivostok to a military airfield in western Russia in
Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes and then flown to the combat zone.
Effect on bilateral ties with North Korean Defense Minister
No Kwang-chol on 29 November 2024At a meeting with Russian foreign minister
Sergey Lavrov in
Moscow on 1 November 2024, North Korean foreign minister
Choe Son-hui announced that her country would continue to provide military support to Russia until the day of the final victory over Ukraine. In this context, Lavrov underlined the close cooperation between the military and security agencies of the two countries. According to Choe Son-hui, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered unconditional support for Russian forces and civilians in a “holy war” from the very beginning of the conflict. In view of the deployment of North Korean soldiers to support Russia in the Ukraine conflict, Choe Son-hui then met with Russian president
Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 4 November. On 6 November, the
Russian Federation Council approved
a defense agreement with North Korea. The agreement stipulates that both countries will provide each other with military support in the event of an attack. The
Atlantic Council reported that North Korean participation in the invasion allows the North Koreans to acquire priceless combat experience, test weapons systems, gain access to Russian military technologies, and secure Moscow's further assistance in
countering UN sanctions.
Kursk campaign According to a report in
The New York Times on 5 November 2024, clashes between Ukrainian and North Korean troops occurred for the first time in the Kursk region of Russia. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky assessed this development as significant and spoke of a new dimension of global instability. However, the fighting is said to have been limited and corroborating evidence equally so. In an interview with the South Korean television station
KBS, the
Ukrainian Defense Minister,
Rustem Umierov, claimed that for the first time on skirmishes with North Korean fighters. However, he claimed that they were difficult to identify, as they were not only dressed in Russian uniforms, but also purportedly disguised themselves as members of the
Buryat ethnic group. Furthermore, he further claimed that the soldiers were fully integrated into the Russian army and operated under Russian command, which further complicated the determination of their actual identity. On 11 January 2025, Ukraine announced to have captured two wounded North Korean soldiers from the Kursk region, which were the first two North Korean prisoners of the war. The South Korean
National Intelligence Service confirmed the North Korean origin of the two prisoners. According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea had 300 killed and almost 2,700 wounded soldiers by January 2025. By mid-January the estimate rose, with anonymous Western officials telling the BBC that it is estimated 1,000 KIA, and a total of 4,000 casualties. According to an
NHK report filed on 19 February 2025, captured North Korean soldiers were told by their commanders that South Korean soldiers are present in Kursk alongside Ukrainian soldiers. They also mention inadequate Russian artillery cover, which led to their capture. In June 2025, secretary of the Russian Security Council
Sergei Shoigu announced that 1,000 North Korean military workers would be deployed to Kursk for
demining, and another 5,000 for reconstruction. In October 2025, the
General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that North Korean soldiers based in Kursk are conducting recon
operations with drones to help Russian soldiers identify targets. On April 2026, on the first anniversary of the conclusion of the Kursk campaign, the North Korean government inaugurated a war memorial and museum commemorating its involvement in Ukraine, the
Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations. At the opening ceremony, North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un commended North Korean soldiers who "
self-blasted" themselves with grenades to avoid being captured by Ukrainian forces.
Alleged deployment into Ukraine In November 2025, Ukrainian media, citing pro-war Russian bloggers and telegram channels, stated that North Korean soldiers have allegedly arrived in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region and may be preparing to fight near the town of
Huliaipole. However, Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence agencies have not confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine itself. On February 4, 2026, the
DIU reported the presence of North Korean troops in the border regions from Kursk, targeting border communities. == North Korean labor ==