ISTANBUL 

North Korean sappers working in the Kursk region have been trained to follow Russian commands as joint demining continues in areas retaken from Ukrainian forces, a Russian official said on Thursday.

The official told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper that manuals were translated and printed for the Korean People’s Army (KPA) team, and “KPA sappers were trained in Russian commands.”

He said cooperation improved quickly and that the group received instruction on different types of mines.

North Korean sappers were sent to the Kursk region on the order of Chairman Kim Jong Un as part of a strategic partnership agreement reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024.

Ukraine started its incursion into Kursk, a Russian region, in August 2024. Russia claimed to have retaken it this April.

In June, Russia's security chief Sergey Shoygu said North Korea, which has helped Russia in its war on Ukraine, will send thousands of workers to help rebuild Kursk.

Russian officials claim Ukrainian forces left large numbers of mines and improvised explosive devices while withdrawing.

The official said the recovered explosives included anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, artillery shells and grenades “made in NATO countries,” along with Ukrainian-made improvised devices.

Local authorities say many areas remain dangerous. Vladimir Zaitsev, head of the Bolshesoldatsky district, said 37 of 64 settlements are still closed because of mines and unexploded devices, and residents have been moved to safer areas.