Approximately 10,000 North Korean infantry soldiers and around 1,000 engineering units are currently stationed in the region, according to information from the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The deployment comes as fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, highlighting the increasingly close military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Despite suffering significant casualties – roughly 6,000 soldiers killed or wounded – North Korea has reportedly gained valuable experience with modern combat tactics and access to Russian technical assistance for upgrading its weapons systems. Approximately 1,100 soldiers who returned home in December 2025 may be redeployed, intelligence suggests.
Cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang has deepened significantly since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has been providing Russia with artillery ammunition, ballistic missiles, and military personnel. Ukrainian intelligence previously reported that North Korean units sustained thousands of casualties during offensive operations on Russian territory.
The fighting is concentrated in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine’s Sumy region. Ukrainian forces penetrated Russian territory in the summer of 2024, temporarily occupying parts of the region. A subsequent Russian counteroffensive, bolstered by North Korean units, regained control of most of the territory.
