North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered Moscow his full support on the war in Ukraine during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, state media in Pyongyang said early Sunday.

Ukrainian Defense Forces engaged in 200 combat clashes with Russian troops along the front lines. On the Pokrovsk front, Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled 61 enemy assault and offensive actions.

An emboldened Russia has ramped up military offensives on two fronts in Ukraine. That is scattering Kyiv’s precious reserve troops and threatening to expand the fighting to a new Ukrainian region as each side seeks an advantage before the fighting season wanes in the autumn.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Kursk to oust Ukrainian forces and provided Moscow’s army with artillery shells and missiles.

Ground reports analysed by the American non-profit Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and other publications also indicate Russia’s intensified offensive over the past 30 days.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered Moscow his full support on the war in Ukraine during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, state media in Pyongyang said early Sunday.