Russia’s defense ministry has released new images showing North Korean troops deployed to clear mines in the war-ravaged Kursk region, signaling closer military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
According to Fox News, the images show North Korean soldiers handling detection equipment, receiving instructions from Russian engineers, and even singing patriotic songs before beginning their demining work. Russian commanders praised their performance.
“They’re great lads, they learn quickly, listen attentively and take notes,” said a commander with the call sign “Veles.” Another, “Lesnik,” added that the North Koreans were operating “on an equal level with my sappers, carrying out the same tasks as my guys.”
Russia says the deployment follows fighting last year that repelled a major Ukrainian incursion into western Kursk. South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western sources told Reuters that North Korea sent roughly 14,000 troops under a mutual defense pact, with more than 6,000 reportedly killed. These casualty figures could not be independently verified.
The Russian defense ministry channel Zvezda said the demining unit was “created and sent to the Kursk region by order of Commander-in-Chief Kim Jong Un.” Zvezda claimed the North Korean engineers arrived with prior experience but received additional training from Russian forces.
In the images, the sappers begin operations by venerating the North Korean flag, a gesture described as a sign of readiness “to carry out any order from the Supreme Leader.” Russian instructors reportedly taught them to handle “the latest NATO and Ukrainian mines” and to counter drones.
North Korean engineers are reportedly using Russian robotic demining platforms such as the Stalker and Uran-6. The East to West News Agency reported that the first of thousands of engineers have started clearing explosives to reduce risks for Russian personnel. Ukrainian military intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov also said North Korea is deploying 6,000 engineers to Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that out of up to 12,000 North Koreans sent to support Russia’s war effort, “their losses are more than 4,000. I think two-thirds have died.” Fox News Digital could not independently confirm casualty figures.
Russian media outlet Krasnaya Zvezda said Russian and North Korean teams are encountering a “previously unseen density” of anti-tank and antipersonnel mines, many allegedly NATO-made, leaving 37 of 64 settlements in the Bolshesoldatsky district closed to civilians.
The report also claimed sappers continue to face Ukrainian artillery and drone fire, which could not be independently verified.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously announced that Russian forces, supported by North Korean units, had cleared Ukrainian troops from the region. Kim Jong Un said last month that military cooperation between the two countries would “advance non-stop,” according to Reuters.
