This  year North Korea intends to aid Russia both in terms of missiles as well as manpower.  According to Ukraine’s military intelligence chief (known as HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, North Korea plans to deliver at least 150 KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles, as well as artillery shells and systems, to Moscow.

In an interview with The War Zone, Budanov said North Korea might also send reinforcements in the form of infantry to the Kursk region in 2025. However, he did not expect to see many new ground combat troops.

The artillery is being used to support both North Korean and Russian operations, while the missiles are strictly for Russian objectives, Budanov said. Over the past three months, North Korea has delivered approximately 120 M1989 “Koksan” self-propelled artillery systems with a 170mm caliber and 120 M-1991 multiple rocket launchers with a 240mm caliber to Russia.

In the future, North Korea is expected to send at least the same amount of this equipment to the Russians, Budanov said. North Korea is known to have an immense arsenal built up over decades for potential use along the Demilitarised Zone in the event of a war with South Korea.

North Korean troops and weapons add new challenges for Ukraine. In Kursk, they are reportedly used in so-called “human wave” tactics, where large forces attack with minimal armored support. In Seoul, South Korea’s military said Friday also expressed suspicions that North Korea is preparing to send additional troops to Russia after its soldiers fighting in the Russian-Ukraine war suffered heavy casualties.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff also assessed in a report distributed to journalists that North Korea is continuing its preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile intended to reach the United States.

Following the reports, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) issued satellite images allegedly showing North Korean troops in Russia’s Far East prior to their deployments in Ukraine. Videos circulating on social media around the time also showed Korean-speaking soldiers in a Russian military base.

In January , Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine’s Kursk region, marking the first confirmed instance of Pyongyang’s direct involvement in the war.