The Russian state news agency TASS published a video on April 28 that purports to show North Korean troops who fought alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast training in Russia.
This is the first official footage released after North Korea and Russia acknowledged for the first time that North Korean troops were deployed to fight against Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
In the video, North Korean soldiers appear to be conducting combat training exercises, dressed in Russian military gear and armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs). TASS did not specify the exact location or date of the footage.
At one point, a Russian instructor is seen demonstrating how to deploy a hand grenade. The footage concludes with the North Korean troops marching in formation while singing what appears to be a military song.
Russia has deployed North Korean troops to help regain control of territories captured by Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast during a surprise cross-border offensive launched in August 2024 — the first large-scale incursion into Russian territory by foreign forces since World War II.
The Ukrainian campaign aimed to disrupt a planned Russian offensive against Sumy Oblast and to divert Russian forces from the embattled Donetsk Oblast.
Following a Russian counterattack this spring, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced on April 26 that Russian forces had fully regained control of the area. Ukraine has refuted the statement, saying that fighting in the region is ongoing.
Ukrainian officials estimate that North Korea has initially deployed around 11,000 troops to Russia, as well as 3,000 reinforcements to replace battlefield losses. Although North Korean units initially suffered heavy casualties and struggled with outdated equipment, they have reportedly adapted to the combat conditions.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
