Zelenskyy claims Russia seeks to bring 30,000 North Korean troops for war

Burc Eruygur

• Neither Russian nor North Korean authorities have yet commented on Zelenskyy’s claims

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday claimed that Russia seeks to bring 30,000 North Korean troops to take part in the ongoing war in his country.

“We also see Russia’s cooperation with North Korea. Russia wants to get another 30,000 troops from North Korea,” Zelenskyy said in an evening video address. He claimed that Moscow is preparing conditions to expand mobilization, citing “thorough intelligence reports on Russian plans for the fall.”

Alleging that Moscow has been preparing in its border region of Voronezh to receive the North Korean troops since last month, Zelenskyy also claimed that Pyongyang is preparing to transfer new ballistic missile launchers to Russia.

“This is a threat not only to Ukraine. Russia is helping North Korea learn war; it is improving their weapons – it is giving them experience in the real use of weapons. All this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within the range of North Korean missiles,” Zelenskyy said, adding: “We will counteract it.”

Russia and North Korea have deepened political and military ties since signing a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in June 2024 that includes provisions for mutual assistance.

Moscow confirmed in April 2025 that North Korean troops took part in its efforts to recapture territories under Ukrainian control in the Kursk region. Kyiv had launched an incursion into the border region in August 2024.

Neither Russian nor North Korean authorities have yet commented on Zelenskyy’s claims.