North Korean troops are suffering heavy casualties in Russia

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russian soldiers in the Kursk region.

“There are many details about the destruction of these forces,” Zelenskyy said. “The Russians are trying to conceal the losses of North Korea.”

He then blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for bringing North Korea into the war and said Ukraine is forced to defend itself against them, even though there’s “not a single reason for North Koreans to die in this war.”

During a briefing last week, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also commented on the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.

“We have seen North Korean soldiers who have been killed in action on the battlefield inside Russia, and if they were to cross the border into Ukraine, that would be another escalation by the government of Russia, and also an escalation by the government of North Korea,” Miller said.

Jenny Town, director of the Stimson Center’s Korea Program, said that, especially over the past year, North Korea and Russia “have really strengthened and deepened their relationship.” She added that even before sending troops, North Korea had supported Russia’s war effort.

In June, Putin visited Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un laid out the red carpet for him. The two leaders shook hands, hugged and were seen driving around together in a Russian limousine, flanked by rows of North Korean soldiers dressed in ceremonial uniforms.

Town said that beyond the pomp and circumstance, the state visit led to a new agreement between the two leaders.

“North Korea and Russia signed a new comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, and this really upgraded their relations from the friendship treaty they had before to what they now call an alliance,” she said.

Part of that alliance is a mutual defense pact that enhances the two countries’ military cooperation and support.

“North Korea was quick to seize upon this new reality, this chance to be buddy-buddies with Putin, the leader of one of the strongest nuclear-powered nations in the world. But now, Putin arguably needs Kim as much as Kim needs Putin,” said Sung-Yoon Lee, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

That’s a major shift in the two countries’ relationship. Lee said that, as the war in Ukraine has dragged on, Russia now relies on North Korean weapons shipments.

“North Korea, since about mid-2023, has supplied Russia with literally millions of artillery shells — some even say over 10 million artillery shells — and on top of that, of course, ballistic missiles that have been used in the war in Ukraine,” he said.

Lee added that North Korea has one of the largest militaries in the world, and it has large stockpiles of munitions. So, selling them to Russia is highly profitable.

“North Korea has enough weapons to supply Russia with,” he said. “… And also, North Korea has, I would argue, a seemingly inexhaustible supply of human lives, expendable human lives.”

According to officials from Ukraine and the US, North Korea has already sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia.

Andrei Lankov, professor of history and Korean Studies at Kookmin University in Seoul, said that North Korean troops fighting in Russia are being paid, but most of that money goes to the state, to the tune of about $2,000 per month for each soldier.

Another thing North Korea gets from sending troops to Russia is military experience.

“The North Korean military has not seen action since 1953 — 71 years — and having some significant number of soldiers in your military with some real experience of the real battle, it’s good, if you like, it’s a kind of school,” Lankov said.

There’s also the possibility, according to Lankov, that Russia could share some sophisticated military technology with North Korea. The big prize would be a delivery system for its nuclear weapons.

Lankov said that having more North Korean boots on the ground would be helpful for Moscow because it would delay another wave of mobilization, which would be unpopular in Russia.

“I think it’s a pilot project because, in terms of the military situation, the presence of 10,000 or 12,000 soldiers is not going to change much; it’s a small number,” he said. “But if things go well, I expect to see many more.”

Lankov estimates that if the war drags on, North Korea could send more than 50,000 troops to Russia.

Jenny Town, with the Stimson Center, said that North Korea’s involvement poses serious longer-term questions for Ukraine’s partners.

“Because Russia is bringing in partners directly, boots on the ground, it does beg the question, what are Ukraine’s partners thinking? And should they also get more involved? And how invested are they in Ukraine’s success,” she said.

Under incoming President Donald Trump, the US will likely reduce its support for Ukraine. Today, EU and NATO leaders are meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to plan for a future in which European countries must take a much more active role in supporting Ukraine.