Russia Preparing to Receive Additional 30,000 North Korean Troops for Ukraine War, Zelenskyy Says
Key Takeaways
- •Russia has been preparing since June to receive 30,000 additional North Korean troops in its southwestern Voronezh region, according to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
- •North Korea intends to supply Russia with additional ballistic missile launchers, building on prior deliveries of artillery shells and KN-23-type short-range missiles.
- •Approximately 20,000 North Korean combat troops and military engineers have already been deployed to the Kursk region, with an estimated 14,000 currently at the front lines.
- •North Korean forces suffered significant casualties during operations in Kursk, which may explain Russia's push for a substantial follow-on deployment.
- •The deepening military cooperation stems from a mutual defense pact signed by Putin and Kim in June 2024 and follows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui's recent visit to Moscow.
Russia is preparing to deploy an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to support its war against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, with Pyongyang also planning to supply Moscow with additional ballistic missile launchers.
In an X posting that summarized his nightly video address, Zelenskyy stated that Moscow has been making preparations since June to receive the troops in Russia's southwestern Voronezh region.
"Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea. Since June, preparations have been under way in Russia's Voronezh region to receive them," Zelenskyy said.
"North Korea is also preparing to transfer additional launchers for ballistic missiles to Russia," he added.
The planned missile launchers would expand an already established arms pipeline. North Korea has previously supplied Russia with artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles, including KN-23-type missiles, that have been used in strikes against Ukrainian targets.
The Ukrainian president cautioned that the potential deployment represents a broader security risk, extending beyond Ukraine's borders to Asian nations within range of North Korean missiles.
"This is a threat not only to Ukraine. Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons and gain real combat experience in using them," Zelenskyy said. "All of this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within range of North Korean missiles."
South Korea, which has been monitoring the deployments through its intelligence services, has repeatedly expressed alarm over the deepening Moscow-Pyongyang military partnership, viewing it as a direct challenge to security on the Korean Peninsula and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
The claims follow the return of North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui from a four-day visit to Moscow last week. During the trip, Choe met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, fueling speculation that her visit was intended to pave the way for a potential trip to Russia by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. A photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency showed Choe and Putin shaking hands during their meeting at the Kremlin on July 19.
The deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang traces back to a mutual defense pact signed by Putin and Kim in June 2024. Following the agreement, Pyongyang dispatched its first contingent of troops to Russia's border regions in October 2024 to support Moscow's campaign against Kyiv.
Since then, North Korea is believed to have sent approximately 20,000 combat troops and military engineers to the Kursk region, with an estimated 14,000 currently deployed to the front lines. Ukrainian and South Korean officials have reported that North Korean forces suffered significant casualties during operations in Kursk, which may help explain Moscow's push for a substantial follow-on deployment.