North Korea sends 8,500 more troops to Russia, CNN reports

A new wave of North Korean troops, already numbering 8,500 in Russia, contains a drone unit that could attack targets inside Ukraine, CNN writes, referring to a senior Ukrainian intelligence official.

North Korea, who signed a mutual defense pact with Russia two years ago, has been sending troops to assist Moscow’s military operations since late 2024 and may be asked to contribute up to 50,000 more when Russian President Vladimir Putin meets his counterpart Kim Jong Un in September, according to Maj. Gen. Vadym Skibitskiy, Deputy Head of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.

Skibitskiy said the North Korean troops already deployed are spread mostly in Russia’s Kursk region and include a thousand engineers and deminers. They also comprise 400 drone operators.