North Korea Has Expanded Its Troop Support for Russia

In a move that underscores their deepening alliance, North Korea has reportedly dispatched an additional 3,000 troops and more military hardware to bolster Russia's war effort in Ukraine. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the troops were added in January and February as were more missiles and artillery, including a "considerable amount" of short-range ballistic missiles, self-propelled howitzers, and rocket launchers. CNN reports the fresh troops add to the count of 11,000 North Koreans that had previously been sent to Russia's Kursk region; 400 of them are estimated to have been killed and another 3,600 injured.

The news follows last week's meeting between Kim Jong Un and Russian official Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, in which Kim reportedly voiced his ongoing support for Russia's war on Ukraine; Putin sent his "warmest wishes and greetings" via Shoigu. The AP reports it has long been thought that North Korea could seek Russian technology, particularly related to drones or space and satellites, in exchange for that support. On the drone front, North Korean state media on Thursday reported on Kim's visit to a drone complex to view tests of newly developed reconnaissance and attack drones.