North Korea is reportedly preparing to send around 6,000 military engineer troops to Russia, signaling deepening military ties between the two countries amid Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

According to media reports, citing Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, 5,000 construction personnel and 1,000 sappers will be deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, a key area in western Russia near the Ukrainian border.

Shoigu, who arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday, is on his second visit to North Korea in less than two weeks. He met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for follow-up talks on bilateral defence cooperation, including the implementation of agreements reached during his June 4 visit.

This military cooperation stems from the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty signed by North Korea and Russia in June last year, under which Pyongyang agreed to provide military support to Moscow. The anniversary of the agreement falls on June 19, and speculation is mounting that Kim Jong-un might visit Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, though no official confirmation has emerged.

The frequent high-level exchanges, including three visits by Shoigu in three months, reflect the accelerating security and diplomatic alignment between North Korea and Russia. Experts suggest Pyongyang is gaining rare access to Russian defence technologies in return for troop deployment and arms supplies—an arrangement that could enhance North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities.

Under heavy international sanctions, North Korea has increasingly leaned on Russia for economic and strategic support, raising alarm across the West over growing military cooperation between the two authoritarian regimes.