Putin thanks Kim Jong Un for North Korean troops’ help in fighting against Ukrainian forces in Kursk

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, on April 25, 2019.
| Photo Credit: AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean troops for fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.

In a statement released by the Kremlin on Monday (April 28, 2025) morning, Mr. Putin hailed “heroism, high level of special training and dedication of the [North] Korean fighters, who, shoulder to shoulder with Russian fighters, defended our Motherland as their own.”

Mr. Putin’s statement came on the heels of North Korea confirming it sent troops to Russia to help in its war against Ukraine. Russia first confirmed North Korean soldiers’ involvement in the battle in the Kursk region, where Kyiv’s troops seized chunks of land in August 2024, on Saturday.