this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2025
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Putin has announced the complete liberation of Kursk with the last Ukrainian elements eliminated or driven from the internationally recognized Russian region of Kursk.

‘Not a single North Korean violated his oath’: How our allies helped us liberate Kursk

Pyongyang’s troops showed discipline, coordination and disregard for death, contributing greatly to the defeat of Ukrainian invaders

Until this moment, Russia had neither confirmed nor denied the presence of DPRK (North Korean) troops on the front line. Strictly speaking, we were not obligated to notify anyone about it. This is a matter of bilateral relations and agreements. Meanwhile, North Korean units gradually began to arrive in Russia during the Kursk campaign.

At first, they underwent training at military ranges, familiarizing themselves with modern combat tactics, mastering drone operation skills, and adapting to field realities. Then, the “combat Buryats,” as our military jokingly and covertly called them, were transferred to the Kursk region. They lived in field conditions to avoid attracting attention. Initially, they held the third line of defense, then the second, and eventually, they were tested in fortifications and, finally, in assaults.

Korean soldiers distinguished themselves by their coordination, discipline, a fatalist disregard for death, and remarkable endurance. Understandably so – they were mostly young, strong, well-built men, decently trained back home, particularly the units from the Special Operations Forces. They made a significant contribution to the liberation of the Korenevsky District, fought in battles near Staraya and Novaya Sorochina, and broke through to Kurilovka.

They had a strict rule – never to be captured alive, and never to surrender voluntarily.

Incidentally, the enemy tried to persuade them to do just that by dropping counterfeit DPRK banknotes, bearing inscriptions in Korean that read: “Surrender! Kim Jong-un has driven you to death and starved your families. Place a yellow flag before you, raise your hands, and loudly shout ‘Freedom!’ Then slowly walk toward the Ukrainian soldiers and follow their instructions.”

Not a single Korean soldier violated his oath or allied commitments. For Pyongyang, it was crucial to gain experience in modern warfare, study the tactics and technologies of a potential enemy (“the collective West”), and acquire knowledge that had been inaccessible due to sanctions. These objectives were achieved. Moreover, under the framework of a comprehensive bilateral agreement, the Koreans made a substantial contribution to the defeat of the Ukrainian forces on our soil.

Their arrival allowed us to maintain pressure on other sections of the front, continue the offensive in the Donbass, and inflict enormous damage on the invasion force, which consisted of 95 (!) battalions.

Coverage: https://www.rt.com/news/616375-north-korea-kursk-russia/

https://www.rt.com/russia/616373-north-koreans-liberate-kursk/

https://www.rt.com/russia/616360-kursk-region-liberation-putin-recap/

So as expected DPRK troops did not enter into territory previously recognized as being part of Ukraine, they merely participated in fighting within historical Russian borders in a defensive capacity. Hence all claimed "captures" of Koreans by Ukraine are fabrications likely involving Russian minorities from the east.

I hope the lessons they learned from their combat are taken back and widely shared and discussed to better prepare and harden the DPRK against any future attacks by the imperialist US.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Please be careful not to conflate the official confirmation with Kots's writing that you're quoting in the OP. This whole "they swore to never be captured" thing is not officially confirmed and there should be a disclaimer about that.

Other than that, I think it's fair to assume this must've been happening since this November announcement:

“From that moment, the Ukraine conflict previously provoked by the West acquired elements of a global nature, just as we warned more than once,” Putin said on Thursday, in a televised address to the nation.

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/607999-putin-ukraine-conflict-global/

It makes sense that they participated in some combat, and I'm wondering why other anti-US countries like Venezuela aren't at the very least sending generals to get some experience there.

Edit: Alexander Kots's Wikipedia page is really funny:

Alexander Igorevich Kots (Russian: Александр Игоревич Коц; born 3 September 1978) is a Russian propagandist, fascist and war criminal promoting aggressive wars against independent states and genocide of their population.[a] He reports mostly for the tabloid newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda and on his own channel on Telegram.

a: According to various international media such as Voice of America, British BBC, Ukrainian media, Israeli, Belarusian and others.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 day ago

Please be careful not to conflate the official confirmation with Kots’s writing that you’re quoting in the OP. This whole “they swore to never be captured” thing is not officially confirmed and there should be a disclaimer about that.

Yep. Even here people seem to fall for all the anti-Korea/racist propaganda it seems.