North Korean troops clear mines in Russia’s Kursk region amid cooperation

New footage released by the Russian defense ministry shows North Korean troops clearing mines in the war-torn Kursk region in western Russia; This is the latest sign of deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

The footage shows North Korean soldiers using detection equipment, receiving instructions from Russian engineers and singing patriotic songs before starting their work. “They are great kids, they learn quickly, they listen carefully and take notes,” said a Russian commander with the call sign “Veles.” Another commander, “Lesnik,” said the North Koreans “acted on equal footing with my sappers and performed the same tasks as my men.”

According to ReutersRussia said North Korea’s deployment followed last year’s fighting that helped repel a major attack on Ukraine’s western Kursk region. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources told Reuters that North Korea sent about 14,000 troops under the mutual defense pact and more than 6,000 were killed. Casualty numbers on the battlefield could not be independently verified.

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Zvezda, the channel of the Russian defense ministry, claims that the new demining unit was “created and sent to the Kursk region by the order of Commander-in-Chief Kim Jong Un.” The channel said the North Korean engineers “arrived in the Kursk region with experience in operating in their homeland” and then “received extensive additional training by the Engineering Corps of the Russian Armed Forces.”

In footage released by the Russian defense ministry, Pyongyang’s sappers begin each operation by respecting the North Korean flag, describing it as a sign that they are ready to “carry out any order from the Supreme Leader.” Russia’s defense ministry claims Russian instructors taught them to handle “the latest NATO and Ukrainian mines” and counter drones.

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Images released by Moscow show North Korean sappers using Russian mine-clearing equipment in the war-scarred Kursk region. (East to West News Agency)

In footage released by the Russian defense ministry, Pyongyang’s sappers begin each operation by respecting the North Korean flag, describing it as a sign that they are ready to “carry out any order from the Supreme Leader.” Russia’s defense ministry claims Russian instructors taught them to handle “the latest NATO and Ukrainian mines” and counter drones. According to the report, North Korean engineers are now using Russian robotic mine-clearing platforms such as Stalker and Uran-6.

The East to West News Agency reported that the first of thousands of North Korean military engineers had begun clearing explosives in the area, explaining that the mission was aimed at reducing the risk to Russian personnel. Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, also said that North Korea would send 6,000 engineers to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that of some 12,000 North Koreans sent to support Russia’s war effort, “their losses were more than 4,000. I think two-thirds died.” Fox News Digital was unable to independently verify the casualty figures.

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North Korean soldiers are clearing minefields left behind in the Kursk region after months of fighting. (East to West News Agency)

Russian military exit Krasnaya Zvezda He reported that Russian and North Korean teams were facing an “unprecedented density” of anti-tank and antipersonnel mines allegedly left by Ukrainian forces, adding that most of the mines were produced by NATO members. Reuters could not independently verify battlefield conditions.

According to the press, 37 of 64 settlements in the Bolshesoldatsky district are closed to civilians due to mines. The report also said the sappers continued to come under Ukrainian artillery and drone fire, but Reuters could not confirm this either.

Ukrainian forces raided the Kursk region in August 2024 and held parts of the region for months. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in April that Russian troops supported by North Korean troops repelled them.

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Russia openly boasts about using North Korean soldiers to clear mines in the war-torn Kursk region. (East to West News Agency)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said last month that the countries’ military cooperation would “progress relentlessly,” Reuters reported.

Reuters contributed to this report.