North Korean troops dispatched to support Russia’s war efforts have already arrived in combat zones, including the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, Kyiv announced on Thursday.

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) said on social media that the first units of North Korean military personnel reached the war theater after training at military sites in eastern Russia.

Some of these troops were spotted on Wednesday in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces still hold areas after launching a cross-border incursion in August, according to Kyiv.

DIU chief Kyrylo Budanov previously said in an interview with the outlet War Zonethat Kyiv expected the