Zelenskyy says North Korea preparing 10,000 more troops for Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that more than 8,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia and that preparations are underway to deploy another 10,000.

Citing new information, Zelenskyy said the additional soldiers were being selected for training and later deployment to Russia. In August, he had said as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers could eventually be sent to fight for Moscow and urged South Korea to support Ukraine’s air defenses.

Ukrainian and South Korean estimates indicate that North Korea has sent about 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia’s war since 2024. Most have reportedly served in Russia’s Kursk region, where they helped counter a Ukrainian incursion. Ukrainian and independent assessments also say Pyongyang has supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems.

South Korea announced a $100 million aid package for Ukraine in July but excluded lethal weapons. Zelenskyy’s latest remarks followed a dispute between Seoul and Kyiv over his announcement that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. Seoul said the disclosure violated a confidentiality agreement and protested after the Ukrainian presidential office denied that such an agreement existed.