(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The UK Ministry of Defense said this on social media platform , citing intelligence data, Ukrinform reports.

According to British intelligence, North Korean military personnel in Russia's Kursk region are coordinating reconnaissance and assisting Russian strikes against Ukraine.

This marks the first recorded instance of North Korean forces directly supporting or facilitating Russian offensive operations on Ukrainian territory.

In particular, North Korean drone operators are helping Russian forces target Ukrainian positions in the Sumy region with multiple launch rocket systems.

"Whilst DPRK forces highly likely conducted tactical UAS strikes and reconnaissance UAS operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region previously, their primary role was as infantry conducting offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces within Kursk," the report states.

The ministry suggests that North Korea is using Russia's war against Ukraine as an opportunity to improve its military's combat capabilities.

Read also: Russia risks losing control over 40% of its territory due to Chinese, North Korean expansion – intelligence

According to British intelligence, North Korean forces have suffered over 6,000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region – more than half of the roughly 11,000 North Korean troops deployed there.

British intelligence emphasizes that any decision to deploy North Korean troops onto Ukrainian territory would require the approval of both Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un.

As Ukrinform reported, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) estimates that around 2,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia to take part in the war against Ukraine have been killed.

Photo: KCTV

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