Russia is helping Pyongyang evade sanctions and expand its nuclear capabilities in return for North Korean troops and missiles, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told The Economist in an op-ed published on October 22.

Budanov previously announced that nearly 11,000 North Korean soldiers are already in Russia and will be ready for combat by November 1.

The move would signal deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, as North Korea already supplies Russia with artillery shells and ballistic missiles for the war against Ukraine.

Budanov claimed that Russia’s support in the field of nuclear capabilities also includes the provision of technologies for smaller tactical nuclear weapons and submarine missile launch systems.

Bypassing sanctions may also be crucial for North Korea, which faces severe economic constraints due to its nuclear program. Russia has blocked the renewal of a UN monitoring program to monitor Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Speaking to The Economist, the Ukrainian intelligence chief said that the military personnel sent to Russia included 500 officers and three generals. A contingent of 2,600 soldiers is reportedly expected to arrive soon in Kursk Oblast, a Russian border region partially controlled by Ukraine.

North Korean troops are currently training in the Khabarovsk region in Russia’s far east, Budanov said.

According to him, Pyongyang has also supplied Russia with 2.8 million artillery shells and an unspecified number of ballistic missiles maintained by North Korean crews.

Kiev and Seoul have repeatedly expressed alarm about North Korea’s personnel transfer to Russia, although the reports have not been confirmed by the U.S. or other Western officials.

North Korea has denied the reports, while a Kremlin spokesman gave an evasive response to the matter.

President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies to increase pressure on North Korea and called for a “concrete response” to the country’s increasing military support for Russia’s all-out war.

Two North Korean brigades, each with up to 6,000 men, are currently being trained in Russia, Zelensky said in his evening speech, citing military intelligence reports. He also said impoverished North Korea would likely receive financial support for its military aid.

North Korea is helping Russia in Ukraine “for money,” says Zelensky

At a meeting attended by the Kyiv Independent, Zelensky was asked about Pyongyang’s increasing support for Moscow, which has reportedly moved from just weapons to ground troops in recent days.