Russia has provided North Korea with technical assistance in developing several types of combat drones, the mass production of which Pyongyang plans to begin this year, sources have told Japan's NHK.

They said that this is part of the agreement that North Korea agrees to send troops to help Russian President Vladimir Putin in the war against Ukraine.

NHK's interlocutors added that Russia does not want to help North Korea develop nuclear weapons, fearing a reaction from the US and China.

North Korea has stepped up its drone production after its leader Kim Jong Un personally inspected a kamikaze drone in November and ordered mass production of this weapon, informs the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea.