Pyongyang — Taking a step with serious implications for global security, North Korea has officially confirmed for the first time the participation of its military units in combat operations on the side of Russia against Ukraine. This admission, made public through the state agency KCNA, sharply changes the international perception of the war and potentially breaks decades of principles of non-proliferation of conflicts beyond regional influence.
According to the statement of the "Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea," North Korean troops operated in the Russian Kursk region, notably participating in the so-called "liberation" operation of territory from Ukrainian defense forces. It is known that the decision to send a military contingent was personally made by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, citing "an analysis of all circumstances" and the provisions of the strategic partnership treaty with Moscow, signed last June.
Despite attempts by Pyongyang to justify its involvement under the UN Charter, analysts consider this a blatant violation of international law. The official statement emphasizes that North Korean troops operated exclusively on Russian territory, but the scale of involvement — and its consequences — remains a subject of debate among global experts.
Silence Exploding with Losses
While the exact numbers of the DPRK military contingent are unknown, Ukrainian military intelligence indicates significant casualties among North Korean soldiers. According to Ukrainian officials, during the assaults on Ukrainian positions in December 2024, over 3,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in the Kursk region alone. President Volodymyr Zelensky updated these figures in January 2025: over 4,000 killed and wounded.
Reports from Ukrainian intelligence paint a disturbing picture: Russian forces are attempting to conceal losses among allies, notably by burning the bodies of fallen North Korean soldiers to prevent their identification.
Additional evidence — intercepted conversations by the Security Service of Ukraine — indicate that wounded North Koreans receive treatment in better conditions than Russian soldiers. Hospitals in border areas have even reprofiled wards specifically for caring for DPRK military personnel.
Political Signal in Stone
According to North Korea, preparations are underway in Pyongyang to install a monument honoring the "combat feats" of its soldiers on Russian land — a step that not only symbolically reinforces the new level of alliance between the two isolated regimes but also signals Pyongyang’s readiness to deepen integration into Moscow’s military campaigns.
The official Seoul promptly condemned North Korea’s statement. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described it as a "serious violation of international law" and called on the global community to take strict measures.
Shadow Army
According to expert assessments, North Korea has sent about 10–12 thousand military personnel to cover Moscow’s mobilization gaps caused by exhausting combat in Ukraine. However, according to Pavel Lakychuk, a security expert, these forces can only compensate for Russian losses for a very short period.
Reports also indicate low combat morale among North Korean soldiers, especially due to fear of Ukrainian drones, which effectively target clusters of military equipment and personnel.
Challenge to the International Order
The integration of North Korean forces into Russia’s war against Ukraine raises new questions for the international community about the effectiveness of existing sanctions and the possibility of further military support exports by other authoritarian regimes. It also complicates any diplomatic efforts on the Korean Peninsula and risks involving new actors in an increasingly wider and unpredictable conflict.
While the world closely monitors the fighting in eastern Ukraine, this new development indicates that the battleground is no longer limited to regional forces — it is increasingly becoming a global theater of ideological and interest-based conflicts.
