Intelligence reports that North Korea sent reinforcements to the Kursk region in February.

According to reports from the South Korean publication JoongAng, citing multiple sources, North Korea sent up to three thousand military personnel to Russia between January and February of this year.

The transfer of North Korean troops "to the Kursk front" in February was carried out by Russian cargo ships and military aircraft. Motorized rifle, engineering, and reconnaissance units, which had not participated in combat last year, arrived there, JoongAng's sources stated.

At the beginning of February, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared the unwavering support of the Russian army and the people of North Korea.

In the fall of 2024, the Ukrainian side assessed the size of the first group of North Korean troops that arrived in the Kursk region at 11,000 personnel. According to South Korean sources, by January 2025, 300 North Korean soldiers had died, and another 2,700 were injured.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor categorically denied the arrival of North Korean military personnel in Russia and their involvement in combat.