BackWORLD
Timeline: North Korean troops in Russia and the new Memorial Museum in Pyongyang
The timeline tracks North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to Russia to assist in Kursk after a Ukrainian incursion in 2024, the growing casualty figures reported by Pyongyang’s intelligence services, and the 2026 unveiling of a memorial in Pyongyang. It also notes the construction milestones of a memorial complex and associated housing for veterans and families.
Why It Matters
The sequence illustrates how North Korea publicly justifies and memorializes military cooperation with Russia amid ongoing casualties, while revealing the opacity surrounding casualty figures and rapid construction of commemorative sites.
Timeline
9 Events
April 26, 2026: Memorial unveiled in Pyongyang
April 26, 2026
The Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at Overseas Military Operations was unveiled, featuring two 30m memorial walls, a building, and a cemetery, with the walls inscribed to commemorate the fallen soldiers and a tiered system of remembrance.
April 2026: Landscaping and facilities completed
April 2026
Landscaping and surrounding facilities were finished at the memorial complex.
Early April 2026: Satellite image shows graves distribution
April 2026
A satellite image taken in early April showed about 140 graves on the west side and 138 on the opposite side of the graveyard.
March 2026: Exterior construction largely completed; housing for veterans
March 2026
Most of the exterior construction appeared to be completed, and residents began moving into a housing complex built for Russian war veterans and bereaved families in the same district.
February 2026: NIS updates casualty figure to about 6,000
February 2026
The National Intelligence Service updated the figure to about 6,000 of the estimated 11,000 deployed to Russia killed or wounded, without providing a detailed breakdown.
December 2025: Rudimentary shell visible at memorial site
December 2025
A rudimentary shell of the 52 sq km complex was visible at the site.
October 2025: Kim Jong Un orders memorial museum construction
October 2025
Kim Jong Un ordered the construction of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at Overseas Military Operations in Pyongyang's Hwasong district.
September 2025: North Korea casualty figures reported by NIS
September 2025
The National Intelligence Service said about 2,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and another 2,700 wounded in the Russia deployment.
August 2024: Ukraine's Kursk incursion and North Korea's deployment
August 2024
Ukraine launched a surprise incursion in Kursk in August 2024, after which South Korea estimated that at least 11,000 North Koreans were sent to Russia to help recapture parts of western Kursk.