North Korea could send 100,000 fighters to help Russia's invasion

North Korea may send as many as 100,000 troops to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine if Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un strengthen ties between their nations. 

Bloomberg reported that analysis conducted by G20 nations said that North Korea and Russia have been getting cosy on the world stage, a trend that is unlikely to abate. 

Already, North Korean troops have been seen deployed alongside Russia's armed forces. 

Sources told the business outlet that if the military support was deployed, it would likely happen over a prolonged period, with batches of troops rotating in and out of the Ukrainian frontline. 

It comes after Russia targeted the country's critical infrastructure with a new onslaught of missile attacks that aim to wipe out its energy grid last night. 

The country's energy operator DTEK announced emergency power cuts at around 7am UK time on Sunday morning affecting the Kyiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions following overnight drone strikes.

It said shortly thereafter thermal power plants had been struck by Putin's latest fusillade. The level of damage was not immediately clear.

Air defences were deployed overnight to intercept drones in Kyiv as residents were urged to take cover, while missiles bound for the west of the stricken country prompted NATO to send out its warplanes to assist. 

'Due to the massive attack by the Russian Federation using cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles on objects located, among others, in western Ukraine, Polish and allied [NATO] aircraft have begun operating in our airspace,' said a statement from the Polish operational command.

'On-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness.

'The steps taken are aimed at ensuring safety in areas bordering the threatened areas.'

Last month, Ukraine's ambassador to South Korea said that his nation's government were expecting as many as 15,000 North Korean troops to be on the ground in Russia's Kursk region at any given time, before being rotated out every few months.

Footage leaked last month appeared to show North Korean troops being kitted out in Russia, in preparation for deployment. 

The video showed uniformed special forces soldiers picking up clothes and other apparel to stuff into their backpacks as they are acclimatised in Russia.

'The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,' Ihor Solovey, the head of Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security, said.

'For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells but also with personnel.' 

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Despite the worrying development, North Korean troops appear to be too busy watching pornography. 

A shocking report by Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman revealed earlier this month that Kim Jong Un's troops were watching adult content in their barracks having never enjoyed such unrestricted access to the web. 

However, US Department of Defense spokesperson Major Charlie Dietz said he was unable to verify 'any North Korean internet habits or virtual ''extracurriculars'' in Russia'.

He added that the Pentagon is only concerned with the 'more serious' aspects of the North Korean military's relationship with Russia.

'As for internet access, that's a question best directed to Moscow,' Dietz said.

'Right now, our attention remains on supporting Ukraine and addressing the more significant regional security concerns,' he concluded.

In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov reported his troops had engaged a 'small group' of North Korean soldiers just across the Russian border.

His claims were backed up by US officials who confirmed to Reuters that North Korean troops were actively involved in combat in Russia's Kursk region on November 4.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the lack of Western response to North Korea's involvement, remarking that these 'first battles with North Korea open a new chapter of instability in the world.'

The alarm was first raised by Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence services who reported that a contingent of up to 11,000 North Korean soldiers had arrived in Russia and had undergone training.

Images of the troops engaged on the battlefield are yet to emerge, but clips purporting to show Pyongyang's soldiers at training camps in Russia have been widely circulated online.

Russian soldiers taken prisoner in Kursk have also been recorded telling their captors of difficulties they had experienced communicating with the North Koreans, adding that some units had suffered friendly fire.

In one clip, a haggard-looking prisoner of war says his unit was in a forest with ten North Korean soldiers after having been sent to dig out trenches when they were caught in a crossfire.

'During the assault, the Koreans started firing at us', he explained.

'We tried to explain to them where to aim, but I think they shot two of our own'.

'I decided it was better to surrender in this situation than to be killed by our own bullet', the soldier said.