As Russia and North Korea deepen military ties, Western diplomats and experts stress that it shows Moscow's increasing need for resources to continue waging its costly war in Ukraine.

North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia to boost its war efforts against Ukraine, a Western diplomat familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 15.

Concerns over the deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have escalated dramatically this week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 13 that Russia’s plans for supporting its full-scale invasion of Ukraine would this autumn include “the actual involvement of North Korea in the war.”