North Korea May Be Providing Russia With Soldiers

North Korea is now providing Russia with a new resource in its war in Ukraine: bodies, or so believes Ukrainian intelligence. NBC News reports it's believed Kim Jong Un is now providing troops to fight on Russia's behalf, with a source saying "the first units are already being formed for deployment to the border areas and Russian territories." The Kremlin has dismissed the reports as a "hoax." More:

• Zelensky said much the same: In a Sunday night video message, the Ukrainian president said the relationship "is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces."

• The scope: The Washington Post last week cited a Ukrainian military intelligence official who said "several thousand" North Korean infantry soldiers were being trained in Russia and would be move to the front line before the year is through.
• A win-win: The New York Times speaks with military experts who say the move would give North Korea something it has hankered for: a chance to up its military preparedness. The country has not been engaged in a major conflict since the Korean War, and Yang Uk with the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul says that supplying Russia with ground troops would provide "an opportunity where their officers could get a sample of how modern war is fought, including the use of drones."
• What's in it for Russia: The Guardian notes the reports come as "Putin is struggling to mobilize more Russians amid growing unease at home about the length and cost of the war"; the New York Times called September the "bloodiest" month yet for Russian troops fighting Ukraine.
• Weaponry improvements: Yang Moo-jin, the president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, adds that it could also help advance the North's weaponry. "From the battlefield use, North Korea will collect valuable data to improve its missiles' effectiveness—data it can also use to help sell the missiles to foreign buyers."

(More North Korea stories.)