When North Korean troops began arriving in Russia this fall, some Western officials believed it was a sign that the Kremlin had reached out in a desperate need for more soldiers. But U.S. intelligence agencies have now assessed that the deployment was North Korea’s idea and not Russia’s,

Secretive North Korea has one of the world’s largest militaries, with 1.28 million active soldiers, but unlike in Russia, the Korean People's Army (KPA) has no recent experience of combat. Pyongyang’s army is “thoroughly indoctrinated but with low readiness,” says Mark Cancian, from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in Russia's Kursk region and warned that Pyongyang could send more personnel and equipment for Moscow's army.

The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday said at least 100 North Korean soldiers have died while another 1,000 suffered injuries in the bordering Kursk region, where Moscow's forces have been battling a Ukrainian ground incursion since August.

The United States voiced alarm at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday that Russia was close to accepting a nuclear-armed North Korea, as Moscow and Pyongyang defended their growing cooperation.

North Korea and Russia are deepening their military cooperation, as Pyongyang ramps up the supply of arms to Moscow for its war in Ukraine and receives much needed cash and oil from the Kremlin in return.

According to analysts from the Ukrainian portal Defense Express, the Russian Federation Army may acquire new weaponry from North Korea. They highlighted the transport of mysterious weapons spotted in the Tyumen region of Russia.

The Russian Federation Army may potentially acquire new weapons from North Korea, according to analysts from the Ukrainian portal Defense Express. They point to the transport of mysterious weapons spotted in the Russian Tyumen region.

North Korea is gearing up to deploy more troops and military equipment, including kamikaze drones, to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. This development was reported by South Korea’s military via Yonhap on December 23.