Zelenskiy says Russia preparing to deploy 30,000 N Korean troops in Ukraine war

WEB DESK: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has claimed that Russia is preparing to bring in 30,000 North Korean troops to participate in its ongoing war against Ukraine.

In his nightly video address on Saturday, Zelenskiy said Moscow was already making preparations to receive the additional North Korean forces in Russia’s Voronezh region, with arrangements reportedly underway since June.

“Russia wants to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops,” Zelenskiy said, adding that Pyongyang was also preparing to provide Russia with new ballistic missile launchers.

North Korea has previously sent an estimated 14,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk region in 2024 under a mutual defence agreement, helping Moscow push back a major Ukrainian military incursion, according to Ukrainian officials.

Zelenskiy warned that Russia’s military cooperation with North Korea extends beyond the battlefield, saying Moscow is helping Pyongyang improve its weapons capabilities and gain combat experience.

He said the growing partnership poses a threat not only to Ukraine but also to countries in Asia within the range of North Korean missiles.

The Ukrainian president vowed that Kyiv would take steps to respond to what he described as an expanding security threat.