Budanov: Ukraine would have returned the territories if North Korea had not supported Russia
The head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kirill Budanov, blamed the North Korean military for the failures of the Ukrainian army at the front. North Korea helped the Russian Armed Forces liberate the Kursk region, and then sent sappers and military construction workers there to rebuild the region. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has promised to continue to "powerfully support" Russia.
Budanov linked the defeats of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the DPRK, the capture of a "DPRK fighter" from Tuva, the DPRK itself offered to join the battle with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the losses of the DPRK in the Kursk region, Kim Jong-un promised to strongly support Russia
Budanov linked the defeats of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the DPRK
Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, blamed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for the failures of the Ukrainian army in the combat zone. He believes that without the support of an ally, Russia "would have lost long ago" in the conflict with Ukraine.
"Ukraine, with the help of its partners, would have returned all the occupied territories if it had not been for the Kremlin's support by Moscow's allies, primarily North Korea," Budanov said at a briefing.
According to him, some countries are "behaving dishonestly" and, contrary to the imposed international sanctions, allow Russia to receive weapons, ammunition, "critical important elements" and allow their citizens to join the ranks of the Russian army.
The head of Ukrainian intelligence believes that Russia "did not plan for such a long conflict" and "did not expect such strong international support for Ukraine." He also thanked foreign partners for helping Ukraine and warned the European Union and NATO against "intensifying the hybrid war on the part of the Russian Federation."
On October 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had discussed with the military headquarters the "actual" inclusion of North Korea in the Ukrainian conflict. The meeting also discussed Russia's relations "with some other countries that are investing in prolonging it."
The capture of the "DPRK fighter" from Tuva
In January, Zelensky stated on his Telegram channel that the Ukrainian military had captured two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. According to him, the prisoners were taken to Kiev to be interrogated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). He said that he had instructed journalists to ensure access to these military personnel, because "the world needs to know what is happening."
The President of Ukraine also published photos of the prisoners. One of the photos showed a military ID issued in Tuva in the name of Aranchin Antonin Ayasovich. In the column "place of birth" it was indicated that the man was born in the Tuvan city of Turan in 1998. This caused doubts in the Russian media that the fighter came from the DPRK.
The DPRK itself offered to join the battle with the Ukrainian Armed Forces
On April 28, 2025, the DPRK officially recognized that the North Korean military participated in the operation to liberate the Kursk region from the Ukrainian army. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un explained that the current military-political situation falls under the scope of article 4 of the bilateral strategic partnership agreement, which became the basis for the decision to send troops, KCNA wrote. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the North Korean fighters for their assistance, noting the high level of their training.
In July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow was continuing to respond to Pyongyang's proposals for the participation of North Korean soldiers in other areas of the Russian Special Military Operation (SVO). He clarified that the author of the initiatives is Kim Jong-un.
"We proceed from the fact that the DPRK itself determines the forms in which we implement our strategic partnership agreement," the minister said during a visit to Pyongyang.
He added that North Korea itself had offered Russia military assistance in liberating the Kursk region, and Moscow had no reason to refuse "this sincere show of solidarity."
North Korea's numbers and losses in the Kursk region
In April 2025, South Korea's national intelligence service claimed that a total of 15,000 North Korean soldiers were fighting on the Russian side, Reuters wrote. According to South Korean intelligence, North Korean losses amounted to about 4.7 thousand people killed and wounded. About 600 North Korean soldiers could have died near Kursk, the article reported.
In June, Alexander Khinshtein, acting governor of the Kursk Region, told RIA Novosti that Kim Jong-un had ordered five thousand construction workers and a thousand sappers to be sent to the Kursk region.
On July 2, military correspondent Alexander Sladkov stated in his Telegram channel that "the Korean brothers are increasing their combat contingent in their military district three times."
Kim Jong-un promised to strongly support Russia
In September, Kim Jong-un said that thanks to the participation of North Korean units in the liberation of the Kursk region, "mass heroism began to prevail throughout society, and an unprecedented impulse to enlist in the army rose among young men and women."
On October 11, the North Korean leader, at a meeting with Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, said that Pyongyang's position on the Ukrainian issue remains "clear and consistent."
"In accordance with the spirit of the agreement concluded between the two countries, we will always strongly support the position of the government and the people of Russia, who seek to eliminate the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, as well as protect sovereignty, security interests, and territorial integrity," RIA Novosti quoted the North Korean leader as saying.
Medvedev told Kim Jong-un that "the position of the Korean Workers' Party and the DPRK on the special military operation is extremely important for Russia."
Egor Kulchitsky
