North Korea has decided to send at least 6,000 more of its military personnel to Russia, with the stated purpose of helping restore infrastructure in Kursk Oblast, according to Russian officials. Earlier reports indicated that more than half of an initial 11,000-strong North Korean contingent had been lost during combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the same area.

Deployment plans confirmed by Shoigu

Sergey Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, announced the move following a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Interfax Russia reports that Shoigu specified the alleged composition of the incoming forces:

“Chairman of State Affairs of the D​PRK Kim Jong Un has decided to send one thousand sappers to Russia for demining operations, as well as five thousand military builders for restoring damaged infrastructure.”

Shoigu stated that the deployment followed negotiations aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries and enhancing North Korea’s support in rebuilding Kursk Oblast.

Shoigu also revealed plans to honor Korean People’s Army (KPA) soldiers who, according to Russian authorities, participated in military actions to “liberate Russian territory.”

“Our leaders decided to immortalize the heroism of Korean People’s Army soldiers who took part in combat operations,” he said.

As part of this initiative, new memorials will be constructed in both Russia and North Korea.

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More than half of Pyongyang forces in Kursk lost earlier

The British Defense Ministry stated earlier that over 6,000 troops from the Korean People’s Army were lost during offensive operations against Ukrainian forces in the area. The total KPA presence initially amounted to approximately 11,000 troops, making the losses exceed 50%.

Last June, Russia and North Korea signed a Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Pyongyang.

Related:

• UK intel: North Korea sent 11,000 troops to help Russia in Kursk—over half never came back
• Half of North Korea’s first missile shipment to Russia exploded in mid-air — now they strike Ukrainian targets with deadly precision
• Russia just gave North Korea the blueprint for Iran’s long-range killer drones, Ukraine’s spy chief says
• Russia receives 140 mm and 60 mm mortars from North Korea
• Kim Jong Un promises full support for Russia’s Ukraine war, says North Korea
• North Korea’s troops, shells, missiles aided Russia in war against Ukraine, breaching UN sanctions, report confirms
• North Korea supplied Russia with 9 mn rounds of ammunition and 100 ballistic missiles since 2023

Editor's note: This item has been updated to include additional details.  

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang on June 17 on a "special assignment" from President Vladimir Putin, Russian state-controlled news agency TASS reported on June 17.

Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit, TASS reported, citing a correspondent on the ground. The purpose of the visit has not been officially disclosed, but it occurs amid intensifying military cooperation between the two nations.

After the meeting with Kim, Shoigu announced that North Korea had decided to send 1,000 sappers and 5,000 military builders to rebuild Russia's Kursk Oblast, according to TASS.

Ukraine initially captured 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory during a cross-border operation that began in August 2024. Since then, Ukraine has lost most of the territory after Moscow launched a counteroffensive in March, which was supported by Pyongyang's military.

According to a June 15 report from the United Kingdom's defense intelligence, over 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded during operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

According to TASS, Shoigu also discussed in Pyongyang the creation of memorials in Russia and North Korea in memory of Korean soldiers who died fighting in the Kursk Oblast.

North Korea has emerged as one of Russia's closest military partners during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since late 2023, Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with millions of artillery shells, at least 100 ballistic missiles, and reportedly deployed more than 11,000 troops to assist Russian operations in Ukraine’s border regions.

The U.K. said Pyongyang's losses account for more than half of the North Korean contingent deployed to the region in fall 2024. British officials attributed the high casualties to highly attritional ground assaults.

Earlier this year, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea sent an additional 3,000 soldiers to Russia in January and February to replenish losses.

In June 2024, Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense pact obligating both countries to provide military assistance in the event of an external attack. Though North Korea only publicly acknowledged its participation in Russia's war against Ukraine in April 2025, open-source reports and intelligence assessments have indicated its involvement since at least the fall of 2024.

The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), a United Nations-affiliated watchdog, reported in May that North Korea and Russia had engaged in "unlawful military cooperation" in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. This included arms transfers, deployment of combat troops, petroleum exports to North Korea exceeding UN caps, and mutual military training.

According to MSMT findings, Russian-flagged vessels delivered up to 9 million rounds of artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition from North Korea to southwestern Russia in 2024 alone. These weapons were subsequently used in attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian targets in cities including Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.

Russia has also reportedly provided advanced military technology to North Korea, including ballistic missile guidance systems, electronic warfare platforms, and short-range air defense systems. One MSMT participating state confirmed the transfer of at least one Pantsir-class vehicle to Pyongyang.

Kim Jong Un described his country's involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine as a "sacred mission" during a public address in May.

Shoigu's visit to North Korea comes amid intensified Russian aerial attacks across Ukraine, including the use of North Korean-made ballistic missiles containing components sourced from third-party suppliers.

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It was reported last year that around half fired at Ukraine by Russia malfunctioned and exploded in mid-air.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared “unconditional support” for Russia’s war against Ukraine during a meeting with top Russian official Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, according to North Korean state media on 5 June.

AP reports that Kim met with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on 4 June. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim told Shoigu that North Korea would “unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue.” The visit marks an intensification of cooperation between the two countries.

KCNA added that the two officials discussed how to solidify the strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia, reaching a consensus on the Ukraine issue and other unspecified international situations. No further details were provided by the North Korean outlet.

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Troop deployment and military presence

In April 2025, North Korea and Russia officially confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia for the first time. The confirmation stated that North Korean and Russian soldiers were fighting side by side against what they described as a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast. 

Though neither Russia nor North Korea has released troop counts, intelligence from the US, South Korea, and Ukraine has previously stated that North Korea sent between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to Russia last fall. South Korean authorities recently added that another 3,000 troops were dispatched earlier this year.

North Korea supplied Russia with 9 mn rounds of ammunition and 100 ballistic missiles since 2023

Russia’s state-run Tass news agency, citing the Russian Security Council’s press service, reported that Shoigu and Kim also discussed the reconstruction of Kursk Oblast and agreed on steps to honor the contributions of North Korean soldiers involved in the fighting there.

Despite Russia’s April 2025 claim of full control over Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Saturday that Ukrainian forces still hold ground there.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his country's full support for Russia's war against Ukraine during a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on June 5.

Kim reportedly told Shoigu that North Korea "unconditionally supports the stand of Russia and its foreign policies." He also emphasized Pyongyang's continued commitment to the 2024 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed with Moscow.

That treaty, signed by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 19, 2024, commits both countries to provide assistance if either is attacked. Kim previously described the pact as having a “peaceful and defensive nature,” framing it as a formal security guarantee between the longtime partners.

Shoigu, on his second visit to Pyongyang since being appointed secretary of the Russian Security Council, reportedly discussed battlefield developments in Russia's Kursk Oblast, including the role of North Korean soldiers deployed in the region.

According to the Russian Security Council's official readout, the two sides discussed "perpetuating the memory of the feat of Korean soldiers."

Officials estimate that up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's Kursk Oblast since last fall to counter Ukraine's cross-border incursion launched in August 2024.

President Volodymyr Zelensky previously reported that North Korean forces fighting for Russia had suffered 4,000 casualties, with two-thirds of the losses being soldiers killed.

Shoigu, who served as Russia's defense minister until his dismissal in May 2024, now oversees national security matters as secretary of the Russian Security Council.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Shoigu on June 25, 2024, for his role in leading Russia's war effort.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4 accused Ukraine of being governed by a terrorist regime that deliberately targets civilians and claimed it is continuing to lose the war. He rejected the possibility of holding talks.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova