Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to indirectly acknowledge reports of North Korean troops in Russia when he spoke to foreign journalists on October 24. He pointed to the mutual defense clause in Russia and North Korea's newly signed security treaty.

Asked about satellite images from South Korean intelligence purporting to show North Korean soldiers heading to Russia, Putin replied: “Images are a serious matter; “If there are images, they reflect something,” although he could not confirm or deny the claims. The United States has also raised.

Putin then referred to the defense treaty between Russia and North Korea, which the Russian parliament ratified on October 24: “As for our relations with the DPRK, the treaty was ratified today; It contains Article 4. We have never doubted that North Korea will take the agreement seriously.”

Article 4 of the agreement states that if a nation is faced with an “armed invasion,” the other nation undertakes to provide “military and other assistance by all means at its disposal.” This provision establishes the closest military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Cold War.

Ukraine launched a cross-border invasion of Kursk Oblast in early August, reportedly seizing around 100 settlements and over 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles). Russia launched a counteroffensive in the region in September, which reportedly met with little success.

Military Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) reported on October 24 that the first North Korean soldiers had been deployed to the front line in Kursk Oblast along with Russian forces. North Korea has sent around 12,000 soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals. The first sightings were reported on October 23rd.

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South Korean law bans the export of weapons to active conflict zones, but Seoul has repeatedly suggested that this could change amid deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.