North Korea sends new troops to Russia, including drone operators, intelligence reports
Photo: North Korean soldiers at a parade (Getty Images)
North Korea has sent an additional drone unit to Russia. There are now 400 North Korean UAV operators helping the Russian army in its war against Ukraine, Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy chief of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR), said in an interview with CNN.
North Korea sends new troops to Russia
According to Skibitskyi, the new wave of North Korean troops includes a drone unit capable of conducting both reconnaissance and attacks on targets in Ukraine.
The total number of North Korean troops in Russia currently stands at 8,500, according to the senior intelligence official.
Skibitskyi said that North Korean troops are mostly deployed across Russia’s Kursk region and include 1,000 engineers and deminers.
They also include 400 drone operators.
Ukrainian intelligence believes that North Korean troops will not fight on Ukrainian territory but will reinforce Russia’s rear positions. This would free up Russian units for offensive operations inside Ukraine, Skibitskyi said.
North Korean forces have been using attack drones against targets in Ukraine since October 2025.
Skibitskyi added that around 25,000 North Koreans have already been deployed or rotated through the Russian armed forces.
North Korea helps Russia
Two years ago, North Korea signed a NATO-style mutual defense pact with Russia. Since late 2024, it has been sending troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to Skibitskyi, Russia could ask North Korea for up to another 50,000 troops during a meeting between the two countries’ leaders in September.
The deepening ties between North Korea and Russia are worrying many NATO members, especially after US President Donald Trump announced that military exercises with South Korea would be scaled back. The reason was to avoid provoking Kim Jong Un, whom Trump wants to meet.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported that Russia is deploying new launchers for North Korean missiles in the Voronezh region. This increases the threat to seven regions of Ukraine.
It was also reported that North Korea had transferred more than 100 ballistic missiles and specialized missile units to Russia.
In addition, on July 30, Russian forces struck the settlement of Radushne near Kryvyi Rih with a North Korean ballistic missile. A large family was killed: the father, mother, seven children and a young grandson.
