Zelensky warns North Korea could send 50,000 troops to Russia as military ties deepen
Ukrainian leader claims troop numbers have risen since July and calls on South Korea for missile defence support.
Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that North Korea could deploy between 30,000 and 50,000 soldiers to Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine, a sharp increase on his previous estimate of 30,000 made in July. The Ukrainian president made the claim in a post on X on Saturday, adding that Kyiv had recovered North Korean missiles on its territory, though he did not disclose locations or explain how the intelligence was obtained.
The assertion comes as military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang accelerates. Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in June 2024 that includes a mutual assistance clause. North Korea has framed any deployment as support for a treaty ally.
Ukrainian military intelligence has previously estimated that around 14,000 North Korean soldiers have already been sent to Russia's Kursk region, where they have helped repel a Ukrainian incursion. This month, a Ukrainian intelligence official told Reuters that a North Korean missile unit is deploying to western Russia, potentially equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine.
Independent assessments indicate Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems. Russia has increasingly used ballistic missiles to exploit Ukraine's shortage of high-end air defences, which are particularly difficult to intercept.
Zelensky used his statement to urge South Korea to deepen cooperation with Kyiv, specifically requesting support for Ukraine's air defence systems. "We would very much like to receive support from South Korea in an area where we have a shortage," he said, adding that Ukrainian diplomats are in contact with Seoul to advance potential deals, including a proposed "Drone Deal".
Neither the North Korean Embassy in Russia nor South Korea's Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment from Reuters outside business hours.
The deployment of additional North Korean troops would deepen Russia's reliance on external manpower and further internationalise the conflict. For Ukraine, the immediate priority remains securing advanced air defence capabilities to counter the growing ballistic missile threat. South Korea's response, whether it provides lethal aid, intelligence sharing or diplomatic pressure, will be closely watched in both Kyiv and Moscow as a signal of how far Seoul is willing to go in confronting the deepening Russia-North Korea axis.