North Korean soldiers have been spotted receiving military uniforms and equipment at a training facility in Russia’s Far East, reinforcing reports from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that 1,500 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia for military training, potentially ahead of deployment to Ukraine.

The video footage, shared by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security and aired by CNN, shows soldiers lining up for their gear. Although the audio was unclear, the soldiers are believed to be speaking Korean. This development highlights the growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Upon their arrival, the North Korean soldiers reportedly completed questionnaires for uniform sizes, with forms written in both Russian and Korean. Additional footage, geolocated by CNN, shows troops at the Sergeevka Training Ground near Russia’s border with China. In the background, a Russian voice remarks, “There are millions of them here… this is just the beginning.”

This confirms Ukraine’s warnings that North Korea is preparing for a more direct involvement in the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently informed NATO leaders that North Korea was preparing to send 10,000 soldiers, a development he raised with the United States.

South Korean media previously reported that North Korea could send up to 12,000 troops, although this number has not been officially confirmed by intelligence sources.

If deployed, this would mark North Korea’s first significant military involvement in an international conflict, despite having one of the largest armies globally, with 1.2 million soldiers—many of whom lack combat experience.