North Korea has sent an additional 8,500 troops to Russia, including operators of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said this to CNN, according to Ukrinform.

Skibitskyi said the North Korean troops already deployed are concentrated mainly in Russia’s Kursk region and include 1,000 engineers and deminers. They also comprise 400 UAV operators. The North Koreans are expected to use strike drones to attack targets in Ukraine.

Skibitskyi added that in September, the Kremlin could request for up to 50,000 more North Korean troops. By that time, around 25,000 North Korean personnel will have been deployed to or rotated through the Russian armed forces, he said.

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