Russia has acknowledged for the first time that North Korean troops are fighting alongside its forces in Ukraine. The announcement came as Moscow claimed that it had regained full control of the western Kursk region.

General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, reported to President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the last village held by Ukrainian troops has now been recaptured nearly eight months after Kyiv’s unexpected incursion.

He praised the heroism of North Korean troops, whom he said has provided “significant assistance” to Russia’s army in defeating Ukrainian forces. 

Putin congratulated his military in a statement on Saturday and said: “The full defeat of the enemy in the Kursk border region creates conditions for further successful actions by our forces on other important parts of the front.”

The Ukrainian government denied claims that Kursk had been recaptured, stating that although Kyiv’s forces were in a “difficult” position, they had successfully resisted encirclement and repelled several Russian ground assaults.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also rejected Russia’s claims. “Our troops continue active defensive operations in designated areas of the Kursk and Belgorod regions,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. 

Our military continues to operate in the Kursk and Belgorod regions – we maintain our presence in Russia. Pokrovsk, all other directions in Donetsk region – I thank our warriors for resilience. Incredible job!

We are keeping all our positions strong so that we have every… pic.twitter.com/BDc6eTw1Hp

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 27, 2025

South Korean intelligence previously estimated that about 11,000 North Korean soldiers had been deployed to support Russia. 

The acknowledgment of North Korean involvement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump leads negotiations for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.