Ukraine has been hit by a surge in Russian ballistic missile attacks, about a third of which used North Korean weapons that can only fly because they run on Western circuitry, obtained despite sanctions,

Russia provided North Korea with missiles in exchange for sending troops to Ukraine, according to a senior South Korean official.

The United States expects that thousands of North Korean troops massing in Russia will "soon" enter combat against Ukraine, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Saturday. About 10,000 North Korean soldiers were believed to be based in the Russian border region of Kursk,