This acknowledgement from Russia comes after Moscow stated it has fully reclaimed the Kursk region, nearly eight months after Ukraine's incursion in the region.
As the Ukraine war rages on, Russia has at last admitted the presence of North Korean troops at the frontline. Speaking at an event on Saturday, the Russian Chief of General Staff was heard thanking North Korean troops for fighting alongside the Russian military in the war, confirming the US, UK, South Korea and Ukraine's claims.
"I would like to separately note the participation ... of military personnel of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Valery Gerasimov, the Russian chief of general staff, informed Russian President Vladimir Putin during a report on Saturday.
This acknowledgement from Russia comes after Moscow stated it has fully reclaimed the Kursk region, nearly eight months after Ukraine's incursion in the region.
As per a report by NBC News, Gerasimov noted that North Korean soldiers provided substantial support to Russian forces in defeating Ukrainian troops due to the alliance between the two nations.
Putin also praised both military troops and said "The full defeat of the enemy in the Kursk border region creates conditions for further successful actions by our forces on other important parts of the front."
Russia's acknowledgement of North Korean troops comes almost a year after the US, South Korea, UK, and Ukraine stated that North Korean troops had been spotted at the frontlines of the war.
In March 2025, South Korean officials indicated that North Korea deployed an additional 3,000 troops to Russia between January and February, after approximately 4,000 soldiers who were "believed to have been killed or injured."
After vowing to end the war in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump has warned Russia of fresh sanctions for targeting civilians in airstrikes.
"There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war,” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday.
Trump's social media posts came after the US President had a brief meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday. This interaction between Trump and Zelenskyy is also the first after the heated Oval Office argument in February.