Pyongyang, May 8, 2026 — A new memorial complex in North Korea appears to reveal the scale of the country’s military losses in Russia’s war against Ukraine, with an estimated 2,300 North Korean soldiers believed to have died during combat operations in Russia’s Kursk region.
According to a BBC investigation using satellite images and official photographs released by North Korean state media, the newly unveiled “Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at Overseas Military Operations” in Pyongyang contains thousands of engraved names believed to belong to fallen North Korean troops.
The memorial was reportedly ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in October 2025 and completed earlier this year in Pyongyang’s Hwasong district. The site includes two large memorial walls, a museum building, and an extensive cemetery complex.
BBC analysts examined images released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and found that each memorial wall contains around 1,152 engraved names. Combined, the two walls appear to commemorate approximately 2,304 soldiers.
The findings closely match earlier estimates from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, which reported in September 2025 that around 2,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and another 2,700 wounded after being deployed to Russia.
South Korean authorities estimate that at least 11,000 North Korean troops were sent to assist Russian forces in retaking parts of the Kursk region after Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive there in August 2024.
North Korea and Russia have never officially disclosed casualty figures related to the deployment.
Satellite images analyzed by the BBC show rapid construction of the 52-square-kilometre memorial complex between October 2025 and April 2026. Experts believe the memorial serves both as a tribute to the dead and as political justification for Pyongyang’s growing military cooperation with Moscow.
The cemetery section reportedly contains around 278 visible graves, while a three-storey columbarium appears capable of storing more than 1,000 funeral urns. Analysts say soldiers receiving special honors may have been buried outdoors, while many others are memorialized inside the building.
Researchers say the monument reflects North Korea’s effort to maintain domestic support for its military partnership with Russia despite mounting casualties.
Experts also believe Pyongyang received economic and military benefits from Moscow in exchange for sending troops, including food aid, financial support, and technical assistance.
The memorial’s construction further highlights the strengthening ties between North Korea and Russia amid the continuing war in Ukraine.
