President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced that Russia will deploy a significant number of North Korean soldiers to the front line against Ukraine, where they will almost certainly be used as cannon fodder.

Ukraine has been hit by a surge in Russian ballistic missile attacks, about a third of which used North Korean weapons that can only fly because they run on Western circuitry, obtained despite sanctions,

The US Department of Defense has yet to confirm active participation of North Korean troops in combat against Ukrainian forces. However, North Korean soldiers have been integrated into Russian units.