SEOUL - A Samsung phone was found among the belongings of a North Korean soldier who was killed by Ukrainian forces while fighting alongside Russian troops, according to the Ukrainian military.

To avoid being hit by multiple drone attacks from the air, North Koreans have taken to forming a ‘human shield,’” says a Seoul-based specialist.

North Korea has not responded to reports of its troops captured or killed by Ukraine forces. It has never publicised the deployment or large shipments of North Korean artillery shells and other weapons sent to Russia to help its war against Ukraine, although they marked the country’s first intervention in a major armed conflict overseas in decades.

North Korea is likely preparing to send additional troops to Russia after suffering heavy losses in battles against Ukrainian forces, South Korea's military said Friday.

British intelligence has reported that one-third of the troops deployed alongside Russian forces in Ukraine are already out of action. Pyongyang sent a contingent of 12,000 soldiers to Russia to assist local forces in regaining lost territory in the Kursk region,

Andriy Kowalenko, head of the Centre for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, reported that Russia is increasingly dependent on artillery supplies from North Korea.