North Korea acknowledges troops aiding Russia in Ukraine
North Korean state media said Friday in Pyongyang that specialized troops — combat engineers sent to Russia’s Kursk region for demining — have returned home, as Kim Jong-un honored nine killed in action and praised the unit’s work. The acknowledgment follows a July Kremlin statement that North Korea would send 1,000 combat engineers and 5,000 construction workers, amid broader DPRK support to Russia’s war effort and a revived mutual defense treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang.
📌 Key Facts
- Kim Jong-un led a Friday ceremony in Pyongyang for the 528th Regiment of Engineers; nine soldiers were posthumously awarded the country’s highest medal.
- The Kremlin said in July North Korea agreed to dispatch 1,000 combat engineers and 5,000 construction workers to the Kursk region.
- South Korean intelligence assesses hundreds of North Korean troops may have been killed; DPRK has also supplied artillery shells and missiles to Russia.
📊 Relevant Data
Buryats comprise 0.3% of Russia's population but 1.16% of identified Russian casualties in the Ukraine war.
2 Years Into Ukraine War, Russia’s Ethnic Minorities Disproportionately Killed in Battle — The Moscow Times
Ethnic minorities in Russia, such as Buryats and Tuvans, are overrepresented in military fatalities relative to their population share, with disparities driven by socioeconomic inequalities between regions.
Ethnic and regional inequalities in Russian military fatalities in Ukraine: Preliminary findings from crowdsourced data — Demographic Research
Nearly one million Russians have emigrated since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, contributing to a population decline from 147 million in 2021 to 144 million in 2025.
How The War In Ukraine Has Sparked A Demographic Crisis In Russia — Forbes
Russia has supplied North Korea with more than one million barrels of oil in 2024, exceeding UN sanctions, contributing to North Korea's economy growing 3.7 percent in 2024, its fastest rate in eight years.
How North Korea Has Bolstered Russia’s War in Ukraine — Council on Foreign Relations
Russia has provided North Korea with air defense equipment, anti-aircraft missiles, and advanced electronic warfare systems in exchange for military support.
How North Korea Has Bolstered Russia’s War in Ukraine — Council on Foreign Relations