Overview
- Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski publicly said this weekend that a decision has been made to deploy between 30,000 and 50,000 North Korean soldiers to Russian territory, a figure he posted on X and did not fully detail.
- That new claim has not been confirmed by Russia or North Korea, and Reuters-cited Ukrainian intelligence separately estimates about 9,500 DPRK troops remain in Kursk from earlier deployments.
- Ukrainian officials also reported finding North Korean missiles inside Ukraine and said a DPRK missile unit began moving into Russia’s Voronezh region, with one intelligence estimate listing up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers.
- In response to the reported escalation, Zelenski asked South Korea for more air-defense help and offered to pursue a 'Drone Deal' and other security cooperation with Seoul to close gaps in Ukraine’s missile defenses.
- The developments build on a June 2024 Russia–North Korea strategic partnership and documented arms shipments from Pyongyang to Moscow, which could transfer combat experience and weapons that change the war’s dynamics and raise wider regional security concerns.