A group of North Korean soldiers has been seen in Russia’s Kursk region, near the Ukrainian border, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
In a Telegram post, the intelligence service reported that these soldiers, who previously trained in eastern Russia, have now arrived in the western region where Ukraine made gains last summer.
Ukrainian intelligence indicated that the North Korean troops arrived mid-week and noted that 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, with potential plans to deploy them to the front lines.
While the Kremlin initially denied these reports, Vladimir Putin, in his closing speech at the BRICS summit, did not dismiss Pyongyang’s involvement in the Ukraine war.
According to data gathered by Kyiv and Seoul, North Korean pilots capable of flying fighter jets have also joined Russian forces.
When asked about the relationship between the two countries, the Russian leader stated that they are “in contact.
”We have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously. But what and how we will do is our business, he added.