Russia and North Korea are preparing a joint attack against Ukraine. North Korea may deploy additional troops on Russia’s side in the war against Ukraine as early as July or August, according to South Korean lawmakers, Reuters reports. 

Ukraine intelligence: North Korean forces may join new Russian offensive on Sumy, Kharkiv

Lee Seong-kweun, a member of South Korea’s National Assembly, stated that this information appeared in a classified report by the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The report was based on the recent visit to Pyongyang by a high-ranking representative of the Russian president’s security service.

“The timing of the additional deployment is that it could be as early as July or August,” Lee notes.

According to the NIS, in exchange for supplying artillery shells and rockets, North Korea is likely to receive satellite launch technology and guidance systems from Russia.

The cooperation between the two authoritarian regimes is based on a mutual defense pact signed in June of last year by Putin and Kim Jong Un.

Earlier, captured North Korean soldiers in Ukraine revealed that Pyongyang operates a military training base designed to resemble Seoul and other major South Korean cities. 

The base is located in Koksan County, North Hwanghae Province, just 65 km from the Demilitarized Zone. The 3.5 km by 1.5 km facility includes a 40-hectare fake city divided into four sections for urban warfare training.