North Korea sends its troops to Russia to further participate in the war against Ukraine in exchange for money and nuclear technology.

Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, stated this in a comment to The Economist.

It is noted that North Korea does not give its people or weapons to Russia for free. Moscow pays money and transfers technology for this.

According to Budanov, Russia is helping North Korea to circumvent sanctions and “strengthen” its nuclear capabilities. In particular, it shares some technologies for tactical nuclear weapons and submarine-launched missile systems.

The expanded cooperation between the two countries in the military sphere is not happening out of the blue but is the result of a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement signed by Putin and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un in June of this year.