On April 26, 2026, North Korea opened the Memorial Museum of Foreign Military Operations, which includes an exhibition of weapons captured from Ukraine.
The opening of the museum was reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The exhibits include Leopard 2A4 and M1A1 Abrams tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, AMX-10RC armored reconnaissance vehicles, VAB armored personnel carriers, as well as mine-resistant armored vehicles, including Turkish-made Kirpi vehicles.
At the opening ceremony, alongside Kim Jong Un and senior North Korean officials, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov was present, leading a Russian delegation.
The Russian official took part in the events at the complex dedicated to the participation of North Korean troops in combat operations in Russia’s Kursk region.
Militarnyi previously reported that Kim Jong Un visited the construction site of this memorial on February 14, 2026.
During that visit, the North Korean leader personally inspected the progress of the work, examined the sculptural panels, and gave instructions on the final design of the complex, which was being built with the involvement of units from the Korean People’s Army.
The first reports of North Korea’s army taking part in the war against Ukraine emerged in October 2024. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate and South Korean intelligence reported that the first 1,500 soldiers had been deployed to Russia and were later sent to the Kursk region.
In early November 2024, then–Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the first combat clashes between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and North Korean units.
In January 2025, Ukrainian Armed Forces units captured the first North Korean soldiers. Despite their active involvement, both Moscow and Pyongyang kept their participation in the fighting undisclosed for a long time.
Russia officially acknowledged it only in April 2025, when Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Vladimir Putin. In his briefing, he highlighted the role of North Korean troops in battles in the border areas of Russia’s Kursk region.
Pyongyang later confirmed that the troops had been deployed on Kim Jong Un’s orders, citing a strategic partnership agreement with Russia. According to Western intelligence, by early 2025 the North Korean contingent had grown to around 12,000 personnel, including special forces from the Korean People’s Army’s 11th Corps, known as the ‘Storm Corps.’
