Rising tensions and deepening alliances in Eastern Europe—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is sending an additional 6,000 personnel to Russia’s Kursk region. This move comes after British intelligence reported that over 6,000 North Koreans have already been killed or injured in the area during ongoing military operations.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu confirmed the deployment on Tuesday, stating that the new wave of workers includes 1,000 military engineers—known as sappers—and 5,000 laborers tasked with rebuilding war-torn infrastructure.
Shoigu, who recently returned from his third trip to Pyongyang in just three months, did not offer a specific timeline for the deployment. However, he indicated the engineers would assist in demining operations, while the workers would begin restoring facilities damaged during Ukrainian incursions that lasted over eight months in 2024.
This latest development underscores a rapidly expanding partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang—one that has provided the Kremlin with vital manpower and munitions to sustain its offensive in Ukraine, while offering North Korea financial compensation and advanced military technology in return.
A former CIA analyst and North Korea specialist, Soo Kim, told Business Insider that Pyongyang may be receiving up to $2,000 per soldier sent to Ukraine. “Sending North Koreans to support Russia is a quick and reliable way for Kim Jong Un to make money,” she said. “In the long run, the military expertise they gain will only bolster Kim’s power.”
According to Russian reports, Kim has approved the new deployment plan following a meeting with Shoigu earlier this week. Although North Korean media did not explicitly confirm the troop dispatch, they did note Kim had “accepted the relevant plans” for cooperation with Russia.
This isn’t the first such deployment. In the fall of 2024, North Korea reportedly sent up to 12,000 soldiers to Kursk to support Russian efforts against a major Ukrainian offensive, which briefly seized hundreds of square miles of territory. By spring 2025, most of that land had been retaken by Russian and North Korean forces—at a high cost.
The United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry recently estimated that more than 6,000 North Korean personnel have been killed or wounded in the fighting around Kursk.
In response to the heavy losses, Shoigu stated that both Moscow and Pyongyang are planning memorials to honor the North Korean troops who perished during the conflict.
South Korea, meanwhile, has expressed concern over the growing cooperation. Its foreign ministry issued a statement earlier today saying it is “closely monitoring developments” between Russia and North Korea.
We will continue to follow this developing story closely.
Reporting by Megan Owen.
