Russian Parliament Speaker Thanks North Korea’s Kim for ‘Liberation of Kursk'

By AFP April 26, 2026

Russian State Duma speaker thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for "the liberation of Kursk" by sending troops there to fight off Ukrainians, Russian TASS reported on Sunday.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops, as well as missiles and munitions, to support Russia's war in Ukraine.

They were deployed to Russia's southwestern Kursk region to fend off a months-long counter-offensive by Kyiv's troops.

Seoul estimates that about 2,000 North Koreans have been killed in Moscow's war with Ukraine.

In return, analysts say North Korea is receiving financial aid, military technology, food and energy from Russia, helping Pyongyang circumvent heavy international sanctions over its banned nuclear programmes.

A Russian delegation, including State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday to attend the opening ceremony of a memorial complex honoring those killed while supporting Moscow's war effort against Ukraine.

"[Let me express these] words of gratitude to you, esteemed Comrade Kim Jong Un, and to the Korean people for their fraternal support in the liberation of Kursk," Volodin was quoted as saying by TASS.

"Korean soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and officers, liberating Russian soil from the Ukrainian Nazis," he said.

A short video posted on social media shows Volodin and Kim hugging, with Volodin delivering his opening remarks in a meeting.

North Korea has yet to comment on the meeting.

Russia's Defense Minister Andrey Belousov also arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday "for talks with the country's top leadership and armed forces command," TASS reported.

In 2024, the two countries signed a military treaty, obligating both states to provide military assistance "without delay" in the event of an attack on the other.

North Korean soldiers are said to have been instructed to kill themselves rather than be captured in battle.

Only two North Korean troops have been captured alive and are currently in the custody of Ukrainian authorities.

The two soldiers have expressed their desire to come to South Korea.

Read more about: North Korea , Kursk , Ukraine war

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