Pyongyang would seem to have little reason to send its own people to risk their lives in the Russia-Ukraine War. But these soldiers appear to be at the heart of the North Korea-Russia security partnership.

Though North Korean ballistic missiles account for only a small portion of Russia's missile strikes they carry a large warhead of up to one tonne and have a range of up to 800 km, the military source said. The Iskander-M, an equivalent Russian missile, carries a smaller payload and has a shorter range of 500 km.

North Korean troops have been pulled back from the frontline amid devastating losses, according to Ukrainian and American officials. Kim Jong Un ’s forces have not been seen on the battlefield for around three weeks, Ukrainian special forces said, according to the New York Times.

North Korea has treated hundreds of Russian soldiers injured in Ukraine, Moscow’s ambassador to Pyongyang told state media, as he revealed new details of the reclusive state’s backing for the Kremlin’s war effort.

Hundreds of Russian soldiers injured in the Ukraine war are being treated in North Korea, according to Alexander Matsegora, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea.

Russian soldiers wounded in the war in Ukraine undergo treatment and rehabilitation in North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, Russia's ambassador to North Korea, said in an interview with the Russian state-controlled media outlet Rossiyskaya Gazeta published on Feb.