North Korea Sends 400 Drone Operators to Kursk Region

North Korea has strengthened its military presence in Russia’s Kursk region by deploying hundreds of drone operators who could be involved in attacks against Ukraine.

Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, told CNN that most North Korean troops in Russia are stationed in the Kursk region.

According to Skibitskyi, the North Korean contingent includes about 1,000 engineers and sappers, along with 400 drone operators.

According to him, during a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in September, North Korea could be asked to provide up to 50,000 additional troops.

Skibitskyi added that by that time, around 25,000 North Korean soldiers had already been deployed to, or rotated through, the Russian Armed Forces.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, the North Korean troops sent to Russia will not fight on Ukrainian territory but will instead reinforce Russian positions in the rear.

The Deputy Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said that by August last year, North Korea had supplied Russia with at least 150 KN-23 or KN-24 ballistic missiles for strikes against Ukraine, with another 120 reportedly promised.

On August 5, North Korea began deploying a missile unit to Russia’s Voronezh region to launch ballistic missile strikes against Ukraine.

On July 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia planned to deploy 30,000 North Korean troops and additional ballistic missile launchers.

On April 25, Kim Jong Un effectively confirmed the practice of North Korean soldiers committing suicide rather than being captured by Ukrainian forces while taking part in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The involvement of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine was first reported in December 2024.

In April 2025, Russia officially acknowledged the participation of North Korean soldiers in combat operations.