North Korea breaks silence on sending troops to fight for Russia as '1,000 die'

North Korea despot Kim Jong Un sent 12,000 soldiers to help Russia in its war against Ukraine, it has been confirmed for the first time. The supreme leader of the basket case country - the most secretive state on earth - dispatched troops to help pal Vladimir Putin's overrun forces.

They were sent in after Ukrainian forces seized territory in the Kursk region. Combat troops were ordered to Russia under the terms of a mutual defence treaty signed by Kim and Putin in June 2024, the secret state's Central Military Commission said in a statement. The treaty, considered the two countries' biggest agreement since the end of the Cold War, requires both nations to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked.

The statement, carried on state TV, cited Kim as saying the deployment was meant to "annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces."

"They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland," he said.

Kim said that a monument will soon be erected in the capital Pyongyang to mark North Korea's battle feats and that flowers will be laid before the tombstones of fallen soldiers.

The statement did not say how many troops North Korea eventually sent and how many of them had died.

US. South Korean and Ukraine intelligence puts the number of troops sent at between 10,000-12,000 with 4,000 killed or wounded on the frontline.

Military analysts said the North Korea soldiers are highly-disciplined and well trained but have become easy targets for drone and artillery attacks because of their lack of combat experience and unfamiliarity with the terrain.

The development comes after a devastating missile strike killed 12 in Kyiv on Thursday in the heaviest pounding of the Ukrainian capital in a year and came after Putin claimed he wanted a pathway to peace.

Ukrainian military sources claimed projectiles in the deadly attack used were manufactured in North Korea.

The bombardment and hardware used to kill innocent civilians prompted Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky to issue a statement saying: "According to preliminary information, the Russians used a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea. Our special services are verifying all the details.

"If the information that this missile was made in North Korea is confirmed, this will be further proof of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang. They kill people and torment lives together - that is the only meaning behind their cooperation. Russia continuously uses such weapons - missiles, artillery. In return, Pyongyang got the opportunity to make its weapons more deadly under real wartime conditions."

He added: "There must be real pressure on Russia to stop this. Even in the midst of international diplomatic efforts to end this war, Russia continues killing civilians. That means Putin is not afraid.

"There must be a full and unconditional halt to the strikes, and Russia must agree to it. This war must be ended justly. And to truly guarantee the safety of our people, we need to strengthen our air shield. I thank everyone in the world who is helping. The cooperation of states that value people and life must stop the alliances of murderers."

North Korea has been supplying a vast amount of conventional arms to Russia, sparking fears Moscow could reward the reclusive nation by transferring high-tech weapons technologies that could sharply enhance its nuclear weapons programme. Pyongyang is expected to receive economic and other assistance as well.

Experts say North Korea could have the material for more than 100 nuclear weapons and has successfully tested missiles that could strike the US with a warhead.

Pyongyang has the world's fourth-largest military, with more than 1.2 million personnel, and is believed to possess chemical and biological weapons.

Despite UN Security Council sanctions and past summits involving North Korea, South Korea, and the US on denuclearisation, it continues to test ballistic missiles.

The developmet comes after captured Chinese mercenaries told how Putin's invading Russian forces are much weaker than he would like the world to think.

Two fighters seized and taken as prisoners of war fighting against Ukraine aid they were "fed lies" by Moscow, shedding new light on the three-year war.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the Ukrainian security service Wang Guangjun and Zhang Guangjun said: "All Russia fed us are lies. They're fake. Russia isn't as strong as they claim, and Ukraine isn't as backward as they say."

Their revelation was a huge embarrassment to China which continues to deny significant numbers of its citizens are serving with Russian forces, saying it advises nationals to "avoid participating in military operations of any party" and is a "staunch supporter" of peace in Ukraine.