Key facts
- Russia is seeking an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea for the war in Ukraine.
- Preparations to receive these troops are reportedly underway in Russia's Voronezh region.
- Around 12,000 North Korean soldiers have already been sent to Russia's Kursk border region.
- A mutual defense pact was signed between Russia and North Korea in 2024.
- Ukraine's President Zelenskyy voiced concerns about Russia sharing military technology with North Korea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Russia is seeking to enlist an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea to bolster its forces in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Zelenskyy stated that preparations for receiving these troops have been underway in Russia's Voronezh region since June.
This development follows an earlier transfer of approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers to Russia's Kursk border region, facilitated by a mutual defense pact signed between Moscow and Pyongyang in 2024. Over the course of the war, Russia has increasingly depended on North Korea for military supplies, including artillery shells and missiles.
Zelenskyy also raised concerns that Russia is providing North Korea with military expertise, enhancing its weapons technology, and offering real combat experience. He characterized this cooperation as a threat to regional security, particularly for Asian nations within range of North Korean missiles, and pledged that Ukraine would counter this development.