A top North Korean general with experience leading elite military units has reportedly been sent to Russia to oversee DPRK troops fighting Ukraine, offering further evidence of plans to use the troops in a special operations role, according to NK Pro analysis.

A South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) official told Yonhap News Agency on Monday that Seoul has “officially confirmed” that Kim Yong Bok, deputy chief of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) General Staff, was in Russia.

NIS first deputy director Hong Jang-won said he discussed the issue at a North Atlantic Council