The North Korean troops nearing Russia’s front lines with Ukraine may not be Kim Jong Un’s best and brightest.They are seemingly young—teenagers or in their early 20s—and likely in the early stages of military conscription,

A group of North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia’s Kursk region, an area that borders Ukraine and has seen ongoing military operations, Ukraine’s military intelligence service announced Thursday.

Thousands of soldiers from an elite unit of the Korean People’s Army began arriving on Wednesday and are expected to try to help expel Ukrainian forces from Russian territory.