North Korean leader Kim Jong Un applauded troops serving overseas for building an "invincible alliance" with Russia in a New Year message, KCNA reported. Intelligence agencies say Pyongyang has sent thousands of fighters to support Russia's nearly four-year campaign in Ukraine, with South Korea estimating at least 600 dead and thousands wounded. Analysts link the deployments to material support from Russia, while reports from the front allege orders to avoid capture and two captured North Koreans have told Ukrainian authorities they want to defect to the South.
Kim Praises Troops for Forging an "Invincible Alliance" With Russia in New Year Message
People watch a flag-raising ceremony to welcome in the new year at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on January 1, 2026 (KIM Won Jin)(KIM Won Jin/AFP/AFP)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised soldiers serving overseas for forging an "invincible alliance" with Russia, issuing a New Year message that both lauds battlefield efforts and signals deeper military and political ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, state media reported.
What Kim Said
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as congratulating troops "fighting bravely on the battlefields in the alien land," commending their "heroic" defence of national honour and urging them to "be brave." He added, "Behind you are Pyongyang and Moscow," and praised the troops for strengthening an "invincible alliance" with Russia.
"As the whole country is enveloped in a festive atmosphere of greeting the new year, I all the more miss you, who are fighting bravely on the battlefields in the alien land even at this moment," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
Scale, Casualties and Returns
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies say Pyongyang has dispatched thousands of troops to bolster Russia's nearly four-year campaign in Ukraine. South Korean estimates place battlefield deaths at at least 600, with thousands more wounded. Analysts say North Korea has received financial assistance, military technology, and food and energy supplies from Russia in return for the deployments.
Analysts' View
Experts say the deployments have become embedded in official defence policy. "Deployments to Russia, as well as overseas military operations or cooperation more broadly, are no longer exceptional but have become embedded as part of official defence policy," Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, told AFP. State media coverage, analysts add, allows Kim to present these strategic and economic gains to domestic audiences as part of a nationalist narrative.
Human Cost and Contested Reports
On-the-ground reports paint a grim picture for North Korean personnel fighting in one of Europe's bloodiest conflicts in decades. South Korea's intelligence service and accounts from two North Koreans captured by Ukrainian forces say some Pyongyang soldiers were allegedly ordered to avoid capture, including being told to take their own lives rather than be taken prisoner. The two men, held by Kyiv since January 2025 after being wounded, have reportedly expressed a desire to defect to South Korea.
Implications
Kim's message reinforces Pyongyang's strategic alignment with Moscow and highlights the political utility of overseas deployments: they supply material relief for an isolated regime, strengthen military cooperation with Russia, and provide domestic propaganda touchpoints. At the same time, reported battlefield conditions and the fate of captured fighters underscore significant humanitarian concerns and operational risks.
Sources: KCNA; South Korean and Western intelligence assessments; AFP reporting; statements from experts cited by AFP.
