The admission is a sign of the deepening military alliance and mutual defense pact between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Until recently, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang had admitted to North Korea’s involvement in the conflict, despite mounting evidence. That changed on Saturday, when Russia credited North Korean forces with playing a critical role in the “liberation” of the Kursk region.

Such a move would have huge ramifications for Russia's full-scale invasion, and far-reaching implications for the international community. "If the Kremlin sends North Korean troops to the territory of Ukraine it would mean that North Korea is in a state of all out war with Ukraine,