Ukraine’s air force has said it shot down 47 out of 72 Russia-launched drones across the country overnight.

In a statement on Telegram, it said an additional 25 drones had not reached targets and were “locationally lost”.

The air force also said that in the Khmelnytskyi and Kyiv regions, citizens’ homes had been damaged and assistance was being provided to the victims.

Russia and Ukraine often send drones into each other’s territory, but over the last few months the frequency of the attacks has intensified.

North Korea ‘to send more troops to Russia’

North Korea appears to be preparing to deploy more troops and weaponry to Russia, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports, citing South Korea’s military.

The deployment “probably includes suicide drones”, the agency reports.

“A comprehensive assessment of multiple intelligence shows that North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase the deployment of troops (in Russia), while currently supplying 240mm rocket launchers and 170 mm self-propelled artillery,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

“There are also some signs of (the North) moving to manufacture and supply suicide drones, first unveiled during Kim Jong-un’s on-site inspection in November.”

For context: North Korea has been supplying weapons to Russia for some time but the arrival of troops to Russia in October was seen as a major escalation in its involvement in the war of Ukraine.

The first official evidence of large numbers of North Korean troops entering Russia was provided by the South Korean government.

According to the press release, an initial contingent of 1,500 North Korean special forces troops were transported on Russian naval ships to the port city of Vladivostok.