North Korea is sending its citizens to help Russia’s military fight Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has said, increasing concerns about the alliance between Moscow and the secretive state.

Russia has denied reports that North Korean soldiers are directly involved in its invasion of Ukraine. Six North Korean officers deployed to Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk were killed in a missile strike,

"We see that the alliance between Russia and such regimes as the North Korean one is getting stronger," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "This is not just about the tr

The military shipments come one month after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Russia to discuss a possible deal.

Increasing alliance between Russia and North Korea goes beyond transferring weapons, Ukraine leader says; Belarusian president says Putin’s nuclear weapons threat will ‘cool the ardour’ of Western adversaries.

According to Ukraine's military intelligence, Russia's plans for the fall and winter include "the actual involvement of North Korea in in the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 14.

Russia has increasingly turned to North Korea for military aid during the ongoing war in Ukraine, with reports indicating that North Korean artillery shells now account for over half of Russia's used ordnance.

Russia plans to effectively involve North Korea in the war in Ukraine this winter. Several other countries are investing in prolonging the war, states President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his evening address.