After two years of combat for Russia on the frontlines in Ukraine, Aleksei returned to his hometown of Vladivostok last summer to recuperate from a shrapnel injury to his leg. Seeking to expedite his recovery and escape the city for a while, he requested his military unit in Russia’s far east to arrange a state-sponsored stay at a sanatorium—a health resort that combines medical treatment with relaxation. A few weeks later, Aleksei was instructed to pack his belongings and take a two-hour flight to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, before continuing to a health center in Wonsan, a city on the eastern coast of the country.
“It wasn’t what I expected, but I thought I should give it a try,” said Aleksei, who requested a name change to speak candidly about his experience. He mentioned that his superiors informed him that the more sought-after sanatoriums along the Black Sea and in the Altai mountains were fully booked by the time he submitted his request. “So they offered a trip to North Korea,” he explained.
Aleksei seems to be among the hundreds of Russian soldiers discreetly sent to North Korea for medical rehabilitation and rest, as the country assumes a new role in caring for Russian troops injured in the conflict with Ukraine. This previously unreported trip highlights the increasing military and political alignment between Russia and North Korea since the onset of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Reports suggest that this cooperation has led to Pyongyang deploying over 10,000 troops to assist Russian forces in the southwestern Kursk region.
During his week-long stay in North Korea, Aleksei shared a facility in Wonsan with about two dozen other Russian soldiers, enjoying amenities like a pool and sauna. He spent his days playing table tennis and cards with fellow servicemen. “The facilities were clean and overall good, and the sun was shining,” he noted. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the medical treatment typically expected at a sanatorium, stating that the meals were “tasteless and lacked meat.” He and the other soldiers were prohibited from going outside in the evenings or interacting with locals, and alcohol was scarce.
Since the war began, hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have returned home, many participating in government-funded rehabilitation programs. Russian government organizations for veterans, which manage trips to numerous sanatoriums across the country, have not publicly advertised the trips to North Korea, nor has any footage of these visits been released. However, in a recent interview, Russia’s ambassador to Pyongyang confirmed that “hundreds of Russian soldiers” who fought in Ukraine were “undergoing rehabilitation in North Korean sanatoriums and medical facilities.” He added, “The treatment, the care, the food—everything related to staying in North Korea was absolutely free.”
