In this photo distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Monday, March 17, 2025, a Russian soldier prepares to raise a flag atop a house in Staraya Sorochina, a village in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region of Russia after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Yonhap - Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Monday, March 17, 2025, a Russian soldier prepares to raise a flag atop a house in Staraya Sorochina, a village in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region of Russia after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Yonhap - Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Hundreds of injured Russian soldiers have undergone treatment at medical facilities in North Korea amid Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, a Russian news outlet reported Thursday, citing a senior Russian diplomat.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko made the remarks at the North Korean Embassy in Russia on Wednesday during a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of a treaty on economic and cultural cooperation between the Soviet Union and North Korea, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

"The facts that hundreds of Russian soldiers have undergone rehabilitation at North Korea's best medical centers ... are a vivid example of the brotherly nature of the current relations between our countries," Rudenko was quoted as saying.

Rudenko, who visited Pyongyang earlier this week, said he held talks with North Korean officials on "bilateral cooperation, international and regional problems," and thanked Pyongyang for its support for what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, according to the report.

The two countries have bolstered ties since signing a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty last June, with North Korea sending troops to Russia in support of its war efforts against Ukraine. (Yonhap)