General Staff: North Korean UAV operators are correcting Russian strikes on Sumy region

The command of the Russian occupation army is involving units of North Korean troops to adjust strikes on the Sumy region.

This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

From the territory of the Kursk region, these units conduct reconnaissance using drones, identify positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and help adjust attacks on the positions of Ukrainian units in the Sumy region.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces recorded negotiations between North Korean UAV operators and Russian military personnel. The operators adjusted the strikes of multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of Ukrainian troops.

"Due to critical personnel losses and the failure of the offensive operation in the Sumy region, the leadership of the Russian Federation continues to involve units from North Korea in active combat operations," the General Staff noted.

North Koreaʼs participation in the war against Ukraine

Russia is using North Korean soldiers in the war with Ukraine — the first of them arrived at the front in October 2024, when it was about 12 thousand people. And in March 2025, North Korea sent another 3 thousand soldiers.

Initially, both sides denied this, but on April 26 of this year, Russia officially acknowledged for the first time the participation of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine. Two days later, North Korea confirmed that its troops were participating in Russiaʼs full-scale war against Ukraine, including fighting on the Kursk Bulge.

In July, Ukrainian intelligence noted that North Korea intends to triple the number of its military fighting on the side of Russia and send an additional 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers to help Moscow.

As of September 2, it is known that at least 2,000 North Korean soldiers died in the war against Ukraine.

In addition to manpower, the DPRK provides Russia with weapons. As early as January 4, 2024, Western media wrote that Russia had received a batch of ballistic missiles from the DPRK (several dozen) and launchers for them. On the same day, the US officially stated that Russia had short-range ballistic missiles from the DPRK and had launched them over Ukraine.

The head of the GUR, Kirill Budanov, said in January 2025 that North Korea plans to send another 150 ballistic missiles to Russia this year.

In April, Reuters reported that North Korea had handed over up to 6 million shells to Russia. Without them, Russia would not have been able to wage war so actively. At some points last year, the majority of the shells used by individual Russian units were North Korean. In some places, it was 100%. The publication noted that this was Russiaʼs most significant direct military assistance in the war.

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