South Korea’s intelligence agency believes some of the North Korean troops deployed to Russia in support of its military offensive in Ukraine may have been transported to the front lines, including high-ranking generals.

According to senior members of the rival political parties on the parliamentary Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, the National Intelligence Service(NIS) shared the assessment during a closed-door parliamentary audit.

The NIS said troops are moving from the North to Russia and the agency is in the process of verifying whether any have been sent to the front lines. 

The agency said the Russian military is teaching the North Korean soldiers some 100 military terms in Russian and communication is said to be an issue. 

The NIS said a special plane traveled between Moscow and Pyongyang last week carrying a key Russian security official involved in the North Korean military deployment. 

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is believed to have visited Russia the previous day for follow-up discussions.

The agency believes the North, which failed to launch a satellite in May, is gearing up to launch a reconnaissance satellite after purchasing cutting-edge parts and enhancing technical cooperation with Russia.