Russia recruits over 28,000 foreign mercenaries for war, Ukraine’s intelligence chief says

Chief of the DIU, Lieutenant General Oleh Ivashchenko, said this in an interview with The Times , according to Ukrinform. The intelligence chief said Ukraine is working to stop Russia’s recruitment efforts abroad. “We are working to stop this by providing information to the relevant security and intelligence services. We are also conducting non-kinetic operations to inform the populations of the countries concerned,” he said. Ivashchenko also noted that Russia is expanding its military cooperation with North Korea. According to defense intelligence, about 8,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia’s Kursk region, and their number could increase to approximately 50,000.