North Korea has sent a new contingent of around 8,500 troops to Russia, according to Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate. The contingent includes approximately 400 UAV operators and around 1,000 engineers and sappers. The bulk of these forces have been deployed in the Kursk region; intelligence believes that the rear units may free up Russian troops for the front line.
Briefly about the main points
- The new North Korean contingent numbers approximately 8,500 people.
- The team comprised drone operators, engineers and bomb disposal experts.
- Some UAV operators have experience of previous deployments.
- Pyongyang denies plans to send up to 50,000 more troops to Russia.
- The Main Intelligence Directorate also reports on North Korean missile specialists in the Voronezh region.
What tasks can the new units carry out?
Some drone operators already have experience gained during previous deployments North Korean military personnel. The Main Intelligence Directorate suspects that they may be used for reconnaissance and drone strikes against targets in Ukraine.
At the same time, according to intelligence assessments, the new contingent is not primarily intended for direct participation in ground combat in Ukraine. Engineering, sapper and other logistical units may take over some of the Russian military’s rear-area tasks, allowing Moscow to redeploy its own personnel to the front line.
Previous deployments and experience of drone warfare
According to estimates Skibitsky’s, around 25,000 North Korean servicemen have already been deployed to Russia as part of deployment and rotation operations. The first significant North Korean units arrived in the Kursk region in 2024, and in April 2025, Pyongyang officially acknowledged that its military personnel were taking part in combat operations on Russia’s side.
Ukrmedia previously reported that around 14,000 North Korean troops had been deployed to support Russian forces in the Kursk region. The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) described the arrival of a significant group of drone specialists as a key development in the current deployment: this could mean that North Korea is gaining practical experience of modern warfare involving the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Assessment of a possible new addition
Skibitsky also stated that Vladimir Putin may contact Kim Jong-un requesting that Russia provide up to 50,000 more military personnel. The Ukrainian side had previously spoken of a possible additional deployment of between 30,000 and 50,000 troops.
Kim Yo-jong On 19 August, she publicly described such claims as unfounded. Consequently, the possibility of additional troop deployments is currently an assessment by Ukrainian intelligence, rather than a confirmed decision by Pyongyang.
Missiles, specialists and air defence systems in the exchange between Moscow and Pyongyang
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate, the DPRK is supplying Russia with ballistic missiles and is sending its own military specialists. Around 90 North Korean specialists are to assist with missile systems in the Voronezh region, where, according to preliminary intelligence reports, Russia is preparing to deploy a DPRK missile unit.
According to Skibitsky, in exchange for military aid, Pyongyang is keen to acquire the S-400 air defence missile system from Moscow and has already received the «Pantsir-S1» air defence missile and gun system. The information provided by the Main Intelligence Directorate describes cooperation covering personnel, missiles, military specialists and air defence technologies.
