U KRAINE’S PRESIDENT, Volodymyr Zelensky, declared last week that North Korea is sending troops to Russia, in effect joining the invasion as a co-combatant. The appearance of one of the world’s most erratic and heavily-armed nations in the fight might test the best resourced and well-rested defences.

A North Korean representative to the United Nations denied reports that Pyongyang had dispatched thousands of troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine, calling the claims "groundless."

This move marks the strongest indication yet that forces from the peninsula could find themselves in direct conflict on Ukrainian soil.