North Korea confirms for the first time the deployment of troops to Russia to help it retake territories in Kursk region

North Korea has confirmed for the first time that it has sent troops to Russia, its state news agency KCNA reported Monday, saying its soldiers helped Moscow retake areas of the Kursk region that had been under Ukrainian control for months.

The agency reported that a sub-unit of the North Korean armed forces, participated in the operations to liberate the occupied Kursk regions, noting that the military efforts of those forces were crowned with success.

In accordance with the defense treaty signed between the two countries, the agreement obligates the two countries to cooperate internationally to counter Western sanctions and coordinate their positions at the United Nations.

The agreement formalizes months of in-depth security cooperation between the two countries.

Russia and North Korea have grown increasingly close since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022.

Th Russian president, Vladimir Putin described the agreement as a “revolutionary document”.

The agreement formalizes months of deep security cooperation between the two countries.

Russia and North Korea have grown increasingly close since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin described the agreement as a revolutionary document.

This north Korean confirmation comes as the first official confirmation of North Korean troops deployment in Russia, after months of reports that thousands of troops were being sent to the Kursk region on the front line.

The KCNA reported that “operations to liberate the Kursk region to repel the adventurous invasion of the Russian Federation by the Ukrainian authorities have concluded victoriously,” adding, “units of the North Korean armed forces participated in the operations in accordance with the order of leader Kim Jong Un”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly accused North Korea of ​​supplying the Russian army with soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

He explained that Ukraine sees a growing alliance between Russia and regimes like North Korea.

He added, “It’s no longer just about arms transfers… It’s about sending people from North Korea to the armed forces of the occupying power”.

In turn, Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday for the achievement his soldiers achieved by fighting alongside Russia against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk Oblast, which Moscow said to have fully liberated.

“Our Korean friends acted out of a sense of solidarity, justice, and true comradeship,” Putin said in a statement issued by the Kremlin.

“We greatly appreciate this and are personally deeply grateful to Comrade Kim Jong Un… and to the North Korean people,” Putin said.