DPRK servicemen helped Moscow's forces liberate the area from Ukrainian troops, General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov has said

Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov has praised the contribution made by North Korean servicemen in helping liberate Kursk Region from Ukrainian forces. He cited their "resilience and heroism" during the operation, which Moscow has hailed as a major success in its campaign against Kiev's forces.

"The DPRK military, acting shoulder to shoulder with the Russian military in Kursk Region, showed resilience and heroism," Gerasimov said during a report to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

The Russian military has now completely liberated the border region from Ukrainian forces, Putin announced.

According to Gerasimov, Ukraine's forces suffered more than 76,000 casualties, including both killed and wounded, during their incursion into Kursk Region, which was launched in August of last year.

Russian troops are currently conducting operations to locate any Ukrainian forces hiding in the liberated areas, the military official added. Moscow's forces are also working to establish a security zone in the neighboring Ukrainian Sumy Region, where they control four settlements and more than 90 square kilometers of territory. Meanwhile, 19 settlements in Kursk Region have been cleared of mines, according to the chief of the General Staff.

Putin thanked Russian service members "who took part in defeating the neo-Nazi groups" that invaded the region last summer.

Gerasimov said North Korean troops were taking part in the liberation of Russia's Kursk Region under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang, which came into force last December. The treaty provides for mutual military assistance in the event of an attack, pledging immediate support "by all means available" under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

The agreement's implementation followed claims by the US and other Kiev backers that Pyongyang had sent some 12,000 troops to Russia for training and potential deployment in the Ukraine conflict. At the time, Moscow and Pyongyang neither confirmed nor denied the reports. Putin said it was up to the two nations to determine how they fulfill their obligations under the pact.

Commenting on Gerasimov's praise of North Korea's involvement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram that Russia "will never forget our friends."