North Korea will send a “large number” of engineering and construction troops to help rebuild Russian-occupied cities in eastern Ukraine, according to reports.

The soldiers will arrive as early as June and take part in “reconstruction” works largely in the heavily bombed Donetsk region, TV Chosun reported, citing a South Korean government official.

The report stated that the North Korean army has 10 engineering brigades, three out of four of which will be sent to Ukraine in exchange for an annual payment of $115 million (£92 million) from Russia.

“The goal is to rebuild a city destroyed by fighting,” said the unnamed official, without specifying further on the location. There is currently no indication the soldiers would have combat roles.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder warned on Tuesday that North Korean troops would become “cannon fodder” if they joined Moscow’s forces on the battlefield in Ukraine.