Russia’s Transport Ministry announced Monday that direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang will begin on July 27, marking the first-ever air connection between the Russian and North Korean capitals.

Kyiv's military intelligence agency said Pyongyang will instead send 6,000 personnel for reconstruction operations in batches of 1,500 to 3,000 personnel this month and next.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Pyongyang is prepared to continue supporting the Russian authorities in their efforts to “resolve the situation” in Ukraine,