Moscow Confirms Secret Alliance: North Korea at War in Ukraine

Official Acknowledgment from Russian Top General

For the first time since the conflict began, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has officially confirmed that North Korean soldiers are taking part in the fighting against Ukraine in the Kursk region.

According to Russian media, Gerasimov emphasized in a report to President Vladimir Putin that troops from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) had provided “significant assistance in the defeat of the encircled group of Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

Gerasimov praised the North Korean units, stating: “I would like to specifically highlight the participation of the military personnel of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the liberation of the border areas of the Kursk region, who, in accordance with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between our countries, provided significant assistance.”

He added that the soldiers demonstrated “high professionalism” during the resistance against Ukrainian forces.

Years of Denials Broken

Until this admission, both Russia and North Korea had categorically denied any form of military support from Pyongyang.

However, multiple videos and eyewitness accounts had already documented the presence of North Korean soldiers at the frontlines, as well as North Korean prisoners of war held by Ukraine.

To conceal the truth, fake military ID cards were allegedly created to disguise North Korean soldiers as members of other ethnic groups in Russia, such as Tuvan forces.

Silence Demanded from Bereaved Families

At the beginning of the year, reports began to surface that families in North Korea were receiving official death certificates for relatives who had fallen in battle — along with demands to keep silent.

“On December 18, my mother and I received a notice from the city of Kechon’s party committee inviting us to a provincial party event. When we arrived in Pyongsong, we were presented with the death certificate of my younger brother, who had been serving in the special forces and was killed in action,” an anonymous source shared.

During the ceremony, it was explained that the soldiers had died during “sacred military exercises on which the honor of the Motherland depended.”

Heavy Losses Among North Korean Forces

The first reports of North Korean soldiers at the frontlines in the Kursk region emerged in December 2024, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the alarm. Ukrainian troops described the North Korean units as physically resilient and mentally tough opponents.

“Imagine them capturing our attack drones under live fire. One draws attention while the other, from an ambush, takes down the drone with precise shots. Just think about the level of stress resistance that requires,” a Ukrainian soldier recounted.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, by April 26, North Korean forces in the Kursk sector had suffered over 4,500 killed and wounded.

The total contingent of North Korean troops in Russia is estimated at around 12,000 soldiers, who are continually replenished as battlefield losses occur.

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