08:33 05-11-2025

North Korea Sends 10,000 Troops to Russia for War Support

North Korea reportedly sends 10,000 troops to Russia, including engineers and deminers, to support operations in Ukraine and strengthen Moscow–Pyongyang ties.

North Korea is dispatching a large contingent of troops to Russia, according to a report from South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing data from the National Intelligence Service. Pyongyang plans to send engineering and demining units numbering around 10,000 personnel in total.

Sources in Seoul claim that about 5,000 North Korean combat engineers will be involved in rebuilding infrastructure in the areas of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, while another thousand are expected to focus on demining efforts. Altogether, the deployment could reach as many as 10,000 soldiers.

Russian authorities officially acknowledged the participation of North Korean troops in military actions in the Kursk region on April 26, 2025. At the time, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced the region’s liberation. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un described his country’s military involvement as a «sacred mission» aimed at strengthening the alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Pyongyang has also revealed plans to erect a monument honoring the North Korean soldiers who fought in the Kursk region.