SEOUL - South Korea’s spy agency said on Dec 27 it had confirmed that a North Korean soldier sent to back Russia’s war against Ukraine had been captured by Ukrainian forces. Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russian troops, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August.

South Korea's military said on Monday it has detected signs of North Korea preparing to send more troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. Pyongyang has already provided 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers to Russia,

North Korean troops have now entered Russia’s war with Ukraine in a major way, and some have been killed, Western officials say.

North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops and weapons, including kamikaze drones, to aid Russia in its full-scale war against Ukraine, the South Korean military said on Dec. 23.

As the war in Ukraine drags on toward a fourth year, North Korea is preparing to send Moscow more troops beyond the 12,000 already there, as well as additional weapons, including suicide drones, according to the latest assessment from South Korean intelligence.

Ukraine's military intelligence says that North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in the Kursk region and are facing logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks

North Korean troops deployed in Russia’s Kursk Oblast continue to suffer significant losses, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Dec. 26.

Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) reports that North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast continue to suffer losses. Source: DIU Quote: "Russia, the aggressor state, continues to deploy North Korean troops in combat operations against Ukraine.