Kyiv, Ukraine — North Korea has deployed a new contingent of military personnel to Russia, including around 400 drone operators, according to Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR). The deployment is part of the expanding military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Skibitskyi said around 8,500 North Korean personnel are currently deployed in Russia, mainly in the Kursk region. The contingent includes approximately 1,000 engineers and deminers and at least 400 UAV operators. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the drone operators are expected to conduct both reconnaissance and strike missions against targets in Ukraine.
The North Korean troops are not expected to fight directly inside Ukrainian territory. Instead, they are being used to reinforce Russian rear positions and border areas, potentially allowing Russian forces to be used for operations inside Ukraine.
The latest deployment follows the arrival of the first major North Korean contingent in Russia’s Kursk region in October 2024, when North Korean forces were sent to support Russian operations against Ukraine’s cross-border offensive. North Korea publicly confirmed its soldiers’ participation in the conflict in April 2025. Ukraine first reported North Korean forces using attack drones against its territory in October 2025.
Ukrainian intelligence estimates that around 25,000 North Korean personnel have been deployed or rotated through Russian forces since the cooperation began.
Ballistic Missile Support
North Korea has also supplied Russia with ballistic missiles. Skibitskyi said that by August 2025, Pyongyang had delivered at least 150 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles. Another 120 missiles were reportedly promised, with around 40 already delivered by early August 2026.
Ukrainian officials linked two of the newly delivered missiles to a strike near Kryvyi Rih on July 30, 2026, which killed several civilians, including children from one family.
A separate North Korean missile unit of around 90 personnel has reportedly begun deploying to Russia’s Voronezh region under the 112th Missile Brigade. Plans reportedly include up to six launchers and 120 ballistic missiles, including KN-23, KN-24 and upgraded KN-30 variants. Ukrainian intelligence says these systems could reach targets in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Possible Further Deployment
Russia and North Korea signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with mutual defence provisions in 2024. Skibitskyi said Russian President Vladimir Putin could request up to 50,000 additional North Korean troops when he meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September 2026.
North Korean officials have rejected claims about a large additional deployment, with Kim Yo Jong recently describing such reports as unfounded.
North Korea has also provided artillery shells and workers for Russian drone-production facilities, while Russian technical support has reportedly contributed to North Korean drone development and missile improvements.
The reported deployment of 400 drone operators represents another expansion of the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, which now involves personnel, drones, missiles, artillery ammunition and technical assistance.
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