MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. North Korean troops’ possible further participation in Russia’s special military operation is not up to Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to make comments about, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Peskov’s commentaries followed a question at a news briefing whether Moscow eyed an option of involving North Korea’s military in the special military operation as it had been previously stated by Zelensky.

"I consider it unnecessary to comment [on such remarks]. It is not up to Zelensky to come up with statements regarding our [Russia’s] plans," Peskov noted.

In November 2025, Russian Presidential Spokesman Peskov announced that Russia would always remember the North Korean military’s vital role in the hazardous and challenging task of clearing mines in the Kursk Region.

Mine-clearing operations in the Kursk Region, which had been freed from Ukrainian forces, were still underway at that time. Alongside Russian specialists, combat engineers from North Korea are taking part in the difficult task of clearing the area from explosive devices.

A unit of North Korean combat engineers was formed and deployed to the region by order of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The decision followed bilateral agreements based on a comprehensive strategic partnership deal inked during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in June 2024.