The expansion of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea raises concerns about global security. Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, emphasized that Russia is transferring Shahed-136 kamikaze drone technologies to Pyongyang, facilitating their production, and exchanging missile developments. According to Yermak, the involvement of North Korean military personnel in combat operations against Ukraine is no longer a fantasy, but has become a reality.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“We see how the Russian Federation is transferring Shahed-136 kamikaze drone technologies to Pyongyang, helping to launch their production, and exchanging missile developments. The participation of North Korean military personnel in combat operations against Ukraine no longer seems like fiction – it is already a reality,” noted the head of the presidential office.
North Korean troops in combat operations in Russia
In July 2025, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that the initiative for the participation of North Korean troops in combat operations in the Kursk region came from Pyongyang. Moscow, according to him, perceived this as a “genuine expression of solidarity.” In June, South Korean intelligence suggested that North Korea might send additional troops to support Russian aggression against Ukraine in July or August.
Arms supplies and North Korean casualties
A multilateral monitoring group, consisting of 11 countries, released a report in May this year stating that since September 2023, North Korea has transferred over 20,000 containers of ammunition to Russia. This has enhanced Russia’s ability to strike Ukraine, particularly critical infrastructure.
Although Pyongyang and Moscow deny official arms supplies, in April, North Korea confirmed the involvement of its troops in combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia. According to British intelligence estimates as of June 15, over six thousand North Korean servicemen have been killed or wounded in combat operations in this region, which accounts for more than half of the approximately 11,000 North Korean military personnel present there since the beginning of the deployment.
The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted in its July report that Russia and North Korea are resorting to hidden mechanisms, including labor migration, to recruit North Korean citizens into the Russian army.