Russia’s war wounded are recovering in North Korea, while children of fallen soldiers attend summer camp there, ambassador reveals
Last June, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement pledging cooperation across multiple sectors. Pyongyang had already been supplying Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine, and by last fall, it had begun sending troops, according to intelligence reports. What wasn’t so clear was that the agreement would include Russian soldiers undergoing rehabilitation in North Korea — or that Russian children of soldiers killed in Ukraine would be sent to summer camp in the reclusive country. But according to Russia’s ambassador to Pyongyang, that’s exactly what’s happening. Here’s what he revealed about that and more in a new interview with Russian state media.
Hundreds of Russian soldiers wounded in Ukraine have undergone rehabilitation in North Korea, Russia’s ambassador to Pyongyang, Alexander Matsegora, said in a recent interview with Russian state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
According to Matsegora, Russian troops have been recovering in North Korean sanatoriums and medical facilities. He framed the arrangement as a reflection of the “friendly attitude” North Koreans have toward Russians, attributing it to cultural ties and a “shared history” between the two countries. “In recent years, this warm attitude toward Russians has become even more noticeable,” he said.
The ambassador also stated that in the summer of 2024, children of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine were sent to the Songdowon International Children’s Camp on North Korea’s coast. “The treatment, care, and meals — everything related to their stay in the DPRK — was completely free,” he said, adding that when Russia offered to cover some of the costs, North Korean officials “were genuinely offended” and refused compensation.
Matsegora’s comments come as North Korea has drawn closer to Russia while remaining cut off from much of the outside world. When asked about the possibility of Pyongyang resuming direct talks with the United States, he dismissed the idea unless Washington fundamentally changed its approach. He argued that previous talks had failed, citing what he called the “extremely unsuccessful experience” of negotiations with Donald Trump. “The North Korean leadership took broad, sincere, unilateral steps toward its opponent, yet received practically nothing in return,” he said.
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“North Korea dismantled its nuclear test site, returned the remains of American soldiers who died in [the Korean War] as a gesture of goodwill, and declared a moratorium on missile launches and nuclear tests — adhering to it strictly for years. The nuclear moratorium is still in place,” he claimed. He described Washington’s response as dismissive. “The Americans, in their typical arrogance, acted as if the mere fact that Trump agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un was a sufficient concession.”
“If Pyongyang decides that dialogue should resume, we would certainly welcome it,” Matsegora added, before blaming the U.S. and South Korea for tensions in the region. “This situation arose entirely because of the U.S. and the Seoul authorities, who followed in Washington’s wake with their extended deterrence policy, now reinforced by a nuclear component,” he said.
He also dismissed the idea that denuclearization remained a viable goal, claiming the situation had changed so dramatically since 2018 that it had “completely lost its relevance.”
Last June, Russia and North Korea signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, which Pyongyang ratified in November before it took effect in December. As Novaya Gazeta noted, it was previously unknown that the agreement could include rehabilitation for Russian soldiers.
The deal is part of growing cooperation between the two countries, both isolated by international sanctions. Moscow has turned to Pyongyang for support in its war against Ukraine, with Western intelligence agencies reporting that North Korea has supplied Russia with artillery shells and ballistic missiles. According to the United States, South Korea, and Ukraine, Pyongyang has also sent around 11,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces.
