Over 12,000 North Korean troops are estimated to be fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Camille Shea told the United Nations Security Council last week.

Ukraine has found “irrefutable evidence” of North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war against his country, president Volodymyr Zelensky said this week as he announced the capture of two North Korean soldiers.

The North Korean authorities are increasingly concerned about the mental condition and moral state of soldiers sent on a military mission to Russia. According to information obtained by Daily NK, the soldiers are exhibiting signs of extreme fear,