Russia Thanks North Korea for Its Help in the Liberation of Kursk
North Korean soldiers in Russian territory, April 2025. X/ @TechToTesla
April 28, 2025 Hour: 2:49 pm
We pay tribute to the heroism of the North Korean soldiers who defended our homeland as if it were their own, Putin said.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Kim Jong-un for the help North Korea provided his nation in the liberation of the Kursk region, where all Ukrainian troops were expelled on Saturday.
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“We pay tribute to the heroism, the high level of special training, and the dedication of the North Korean soldiers who, side by side with Russian fighters, defended our homeland as if it were their own,” the Russian leader said, stressing that his country will never forget the feat of the Korean forces.
“We will always honor the Korean heroes who gave their lives for Russia, for our common freedom, together with their Russian brothers in arms,” he added.
Earlier on Saturday, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, reported that the operation to expel Ukrainian troops from Kursk, where they had been stationed since August 2024, had concluded successfully.
Hours before Putin’s remarks, North Korea had confirmed the dispatch of troops to Russia to support the special military operation in Ukraine, under the strategic partnership treaty signed with Moscow in June 2024.
“The soldiers participated in the recapture of the Kursk region, carrying out a direct order from Chairman Kim Jong-un,” said the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party.
The state news agency KCNA recalled that the North Korean soldiers’ activities were carried out within Russian borders and fully complied with international law.
On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry published the first images of North Korean soldiers training on firing ranges with Kalashnikov assault rifles, rocket launchers, and hand grenades.
The soldiers cross open fields, seek cover, and move through trenches while opening fire on a hypothetical enemy.
They are also seen firing into the air, which may indicate their training in countering drone attacks. During the exercises, the North Korean soldiers decorated their helmets with the St. George ribbon, a symbol of Imperial Russia that the Kremlin reclaimed to symbolize victory in World War II.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
