North Korea is preparing to deploy an additional 6,000 troops to Russia, along with a significant amount of military hardware, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, said the incoming forces will be accompanied by up to 100 pieces of North Korean equipment, including M2010 (Cheonma-D) main battle tanks and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers. The units are reportedly being sent for engineering operations, although their deployment comes amid intensifying combat on multiple fronts in Ukraine.
Budanov stated that Russia is providing substantial financial support to secure North Korea’s participation in the war effort.
He also noted that only three countries in the world currently possess experience in conducting large scale combat operations along an extended front line Ukraine, Russia, and North Korea—suggesting that Pyongyang’s involvement could have both symbolic and tactical implications.
While North Korea’s direct combat role remains unclear, Western officials have repeatedly warned that its growing military cooperation with Moscow violates UN sanctions and risks further escalating the conflict.
The announcement follows reports of earlier North Korean military assistance to Russia, including the supply of artillery shells and rockets. Ukraine and its allies have condemned such transfers as prolonging the war and worsening regional i
nstability.
