For the first time, North Korea has acknowledged sending troops to Russia to support military operations against Ukraine, aiming to assist Moscow in reclaiming the Kursk region.

According to intelligence sources, North Korea deployed between 10,000 and 12,000 soldiers in Russia last fall, marking its first foreign military involvement since the Korean War.

The acknowledgment came after Moscow claimed to have regained control of the Kursk region, a claim denied by Ukraine.