Vladimir Putin confirmed that the North Korean army is supporting Russian forces for the first time – we’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
Vladimir Putin has thanked North Korean troops for fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region – confirming that Kim Jong-un’s army is supporting him for the first time.
In a statement from the Kremlin this morning, Putin hailed the “heroism and dedication” of North Korea’s fighters, who he said “shoulder to shoulder with Russian fighters, defended our Motherland as their own.” Over the weekend, Russia said its troops have fully reclaimed the Kursk region that Ukrainian forces had seized in a surprise incursion last year. But Ukrainian officials have denied the claim. The confirmation of military support from the rogue state comes after months of denials, while US, South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials have claimed that North Korea dispatched 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia last autumn in its first participation in a major armed conflict since the end of the Korean War.
North Korea hadn’t confirmed or denied its reported troop deployments to Russia until today.
Kim Jong Un sent the combat troops to Russia at the end of last yeae under a mutual defence treaty he and Putin signed in June 2024, the North’s Central Military Commission said in a statement carried by state media.
The treaty, considered the two countries’ biggest agreement since the end of the Cold War, requires both nations to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked.
Some foreign policy experts have also voiced fears that Kim may receive economic assistance and advanced technology to develop his arsenal in exchange for its military supporting Russia.
While praised by some of their Russian allies for their bravery, the North Korean troops have also been questioned for their judgement after a string of bizarre antics on the frontline.
In January, footage of the soldiers fighting in Kursk showed them allegedly throwing pensioners out of their homes.
The North Korean fighters reportedly kicked out the elderly Russians in freezing temperatures so they could “take cover from Ukranian drone attacks.”
As much as a tenth of all the soldiers sent to the region by Kim Jong Un were thought to have been killed by mid-January, with outdated tactics and inadequate support said to have contributed to the losses.
Major issues in translation and communication are also thought to have led to the soldiers accidentally engaging in ‘friendly fire’, with at least one incident confirmed of North Koreans blowing up Russian troops.
Meanwhile, Russia’s claims of victory in Kursk – should they be confirmed – could have major implications for the ailing US-led efforts for peace in Ukraine.
It is likely the loss of the captured territory could derail attempts to negotiate an end to the war, as Kyiv would no longer be able to exchange it for some of the Russian-occupied land in Ukraine.
