New Troops, Weapons, Drones from North Korea to Russia: Details

North Korea is preparing to transport additional troops, weapons, and kamikaze drones to Russia. South Korean military officials have reported this to the Yonhap news agency. At the same time, North Korea has increased its supplies of military ammunition to Russia. This was also reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing satellite imagery data and sources.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea have stated that North Korea is set to rotate its troops and increase the number of personnel in Russia. The military also believes that North Korea has begun producing kamikaze drones and plans to supply them to the Russian army. This was first revealed in November when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended drone trial runs and ordered the mass production of these drones, citing economic efficiency.

Since September of last year, the number of railway wagons crossing the border between North Korea and Russia has tripled. This was uncovered by reporters from The Wall Street Journal who analyzed satellite images of border checkpoints and spoke with officials from Western countries, South Korea, and Ukraine.

Andrei Kovalenco, head of Ukraine's misinformation counteraction center, has informed the media that about 60 percent of the mortar and artillery shells recently used by Russia have been supplied by North Korea. One-third of the ballistic missiles that Russia is using to strike Ukraine are also produced by North Korea, according to Ukrainian officials.

South Korean intelligence estimates North Korean military losses to be around 1,100, according to Yonhap. This figure includes both killed and wounded soldiers. Last week, a senior U.S. official informed CNN that North Korea's losses are in the hundreds, while Ukrainian intelligence estimated the number of losses at around 200.

Earlier, South Korean sources indicated that the North Korean army consists of about 12,000 personnel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted this number to be around 11,000. In October, South Korean intelligence presented a report in the National Assembly regarding North Korea's participation in the war with Ukraine. According to their data, Russia pays each North Korean soldier $2,000 a month and plans to send 600,000 to 700,000 tons of rice to its ally, which would cover more than half of North Korea's grain deficit.