South Korea's military said on Monday it has detected signs of North Korea preparing to send more troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Monday more than 3,000 troops from North Korea have been killed so far fighting next to Russian forces.

U.S. intelligence agencies, in a report cited by The New York Times, assert that the move was initiated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with Russian President Vladimir Putin accepting the offer promptly.

U.S. intelligence agencies believe that North Korea's troop deployment to Russia was Pyongyang's idea, The New York Times reported Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded fighting for Moscow in Russia's western Kursk region.

North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops and weapons, including kamikaze drones, to aid Russia in its full-scale war against Ukraine, the South Korean military said on Dec. 23.

South Korea's military said on Monday that it has detected signs of North Korea preparing to send more troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. North Korea has already provided 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and wounded in Russia's Kursk region and warned that Pyongyang could send more personnel and equipment for Moscow's army.

More than 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in Russia's western front line region of Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

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North Korean troops have reportedly suffered heavy casualties while fighting for Russia in Ukraine, according to South Korea's spy agency, which also claimed to have detected signs of Pyongyang preparing to send additional soldiers and kamikaze drones to Moscow.