North Korea opens museum honouring troops who fought against Ukraine
North Korea opened the Memorial Museum of Foreign Military Operations, which is centred on troops who fought alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, on 26 April.
Source: Kyiv Independent, an English-language Ukrainian online newspaper; Militarnyi, a Ukrainian military news outlet
Details: The museum also features an exhibition of military equipment captured in Ukraine. Among the exhibits are Leopard 2A4 and M1A1 Abrams tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, AMX-10RC armoured reconnaissance vehicles, VAB armoured personnel carriers, and mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles.
Kim Jong Un attended the opening ceremony alongside other senior North Korean officials. A Russian delegation, led by Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, was also present.
The memorial bears the names of Russian and North Korean service members killed in combat against Ukrainian forces.
In his speech, Kim Jong Un pointed out the need to strengthen ties between Pyongyang and Moscow as a "powerful bastion".
The foundation for the memorial museum in Pyongyang was laid in October 2025.
Background:
- South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported that as of February 2026, around 10,000 North Korean combat troops and 1,000 engineer troops had been deployed in Russia's frontline Kursk Oblast.
- As of February 2026, around 6,000 North Korean soldiers fighting on Russia's side in its war against Ukraine had been killed or wounded, according to South Korean intelligence.
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