Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said that of Moscow's allies, North Korea is the "biggest problem" for Kiev because of Russia's massive supply of artillery shells, which are used on the Ukrainian front.

Of all Russia's allies, our biggest problem is North Korea, because with the amount of military equipment they supply, they really affect the intensity of the fighting, Budanov noted.

He added that Ukraine cannot take anything against it at the moment.

Budanov estimated that Russia will try to end the war "before 2026", in order to avoid weakening its positions due to the accumulation of economic problems, mainly due to Western sanctions and mobilization problems related to significant losses at the front.

The US and South Korea have accused Pyongyang of supplying Russia with ammunition and missiles to support its invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 2022, but Pyongyang denies the allegations.