North Korea has erected a memorial to soldiers who died in Ukraine
North Korea held a large-scale memorial service dedicated to the Juche soldiers who died during the war with Ukraine. According to sources, a total of about 6,000 North Korean servicemen were killed or wounded in the conflict.
This was reported by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper.
As a reminder, on February 13, 2026, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the construction site of the Memorial Hall of Military Feats in Overseas Military Operations. He personally inspected the progress of the work, examined the sculptural panels, and gave instructions regarding the final design of the facility. Units of the Korean People’s Army were involved in the construction.
North Korea began actively redeploying its troops to Russia in October 2024. Initially, special forces from the 11th Corps of the Korean People’s Army, known as the “Storm Corps,” underwent training at military training grounds in the Far East. The DPRK officially confirmed the deployment of its troops on April 28, 2025, citing a strategic partnership agreement with Russia.
According to intelligence from South Korea and Western intelligence agencies, the size of the North Korean contingent in Russia has reached about fifteen thousand personnel. The bulk of the forces are holding positions in the Kursk region.
As of February 2026, DPRK combat losses amount to approximately 6,000 personnel, most of whom were killed during counteroffensives in the Kursk region.
On March 24, 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced plans to erect a monument to North Korean soldiers on Russian territory.
If Russia wants to organize similar memorials on the same scale, it will have to build approximately five such structures every month.
Last year, about 11,000 Russian servicemen took part in the Victory Day parade in Moscow.
