North Korean Soldiers Join Russia’s Symbolic Victory Day March

North Korean troops were seen on Saturday marching in a parade alongside Russian soldiers in Moscow’s Victory Day for the first time. The move highlights Russia’s deepening partnership with North Korea.

The parade was brief, with Russian President Vladimir Putin appearing amid tight security after a U.S.-led three-day ceasefire. That pause in fighting, running from May 9 through May 11 and including prisoner exchanges, was brokered by the United States. Military officers of the newly established Russian military drone forces were also present.

The parade was shorter, lighter on military hardware and conducted under heavy security. Putin used the occasion to reaffirm Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. “Victory has always been and will be ours,” Putin said, addressing columns of troops according to NBC News.

He declared that Russian forces were facing “an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc,” drawing a line between the defeat of fascism in 1945 and the current conflict. Victory, he said, would come.

The reduced scale of the parade reflected the realities of a war now stretching well beyond four years.

Much of Russia’s military equipment remains tied up on the battlefield in Ukraine, while repeated Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russian territory have exposed vulnerabilities in Moscow’s defenses.

The participation of North Korean troops for the first time highlighted the growing military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, which Western and Ukrainian officials say has expanded significantly during the war.

Estimates from Kyiv and Seoul suggest North Korea has deployed more than 10,000 personnel in support of Russia’s campaign.

The event also unfolded amid a fragile ceasefire reportedly encouraged by Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly stated that Kyiv would not target Red Square during the celebrations, prioritizing an ongoing prisoner exchange instead.