A high-level North Korean delegation departed for Moscow on Monday to attend an international security meeting, which will likely feature talks with Russian security chief Sergei Shoigu amid questions about the DPRK military’s evolving role in the Ukraine war.

Led by Minister of State Security Ri Chang Dae, the delegation’s visit to the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues comes as U.S.-led peace talks have run aground and Moscow and Kyiv exchange massive air strikes, an escalation that one expert said could trigger additional deployments of North Korean troops and laborers.

DPRK state media reportedthe trip