This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Hundreds of Russian soldiers are being treated in North Korean hospitals, a Russian diplomat said, comments that provide another glimpse into the scale of cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang in the Ukraine war.
In an interview with the state-run Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, Aleksandr Matsegora, provided few details as to how many Russians have been hospitalized in North Korea, nor did he give specifics on casualties or deaths.
“A clear example of the brotherly attitude [between Moscow and Pyongyang] is the rehabilitation of hundreds of wounded soldiers of the [Ukraine war] in Korean sanatoriums and hospitals,” he was quoted as saying.
Moscow turned to North Korea for help in its all-out invasion of Ukraine roughly six months after its start in February 2022.
Western intelligence said Russia was buying millions of artillery shells from North Korea — reports that were backed up by satellite imagery showing reconstruction of railyards, railway bridges, and port facilities along their shared border, on the Pacific Coast.
Last fall, North Korean soldiers began appearing on battlefields along Russia’s border, primarily in the Kursk region, which Ukraine invaded in August.
In November, President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership treaty, deepening their economic and political ties.
Western and Ukrainian officials have said between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to the Kursk region; Ukrainian troops have captured an unknown number of prisoners.
Last month, however, Ukrainian officials reported that North Korean troops had vanished from the front lines in Kursk, apparently due to high casualty rates. It was unclear however if the contingent had been withdrawn entirely or merely rotated out for rest or resupply.
In the interview, Matsegora also said Russia was supplying coal, food, and medical supplies to North Korea, and he said some children of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine had been sent to North Korea for holidays.
Western officials estimate Russian casualties over the nearly three years since it invaded Ukraine at more than 700,000.