Overview

• Ukraine’s General Staff published footage on Oct. 16 that it says came from a downed reconnaissance drone operated by North Korean soldiers over Sumy Oblast.
• Kyiv says the operators adjusted multiple-launch rocket system fire onto Ukrainian positions, marking what it describes as the first publicly released proof of such involvement.
• Ukrainian, South Korean, and Western intelligence previously documented roughly 11,000 North Korean troops moving to Russia’s Kursk Oblast in 2024 after a request from Moscow.
• Reports cited North Korean units used as shock troops with heavy losses, and Kursk later served as a launch point for repeated strikes into border areas of Sumy.
• Ukraine’s military links the use of North Korean personnel to Russian manpower shortfalls and a failed push in Sumy, as Russia and North Korea deepen cooperation on munitions, missiles, and drones.