Zelenskyy says Russia could receive up to 50,000 North Korean troops
Kyiv says North Korean deployment numbers have grown from hundreds to tens of thousands within roughly two months, according to Ukrainian estimates.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed in an interview on August 8 that Russia is prepared to host between 30,000 and 50,000 North Korean soldiers in its territory. This significantly increases from the initial estimate of 30,000 troops he mentioned two weeks earlier on July 25. Zelenskyy noted that preparations to receive these troops were ongoing since June in Russia's Voronezh region.
He stated that North Korea will gain experience in modern warfare and receive Russian licenses as a result. Although Russia and North Korea have not announced any expansion of their cooperation, Ukraine reported that Russia employed a North Korean missile for the first time in a long time in a strike on Radushne, near Kryvyi Rih.
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence directorate, Andrii Cherniak, revealed that a North Korean missile unit has started deploying in western Russia, potentially equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers. If deployed, these missile launchers would become legitimate targets according to Ukraine. Furthermore, Zelenskyy emphasized that these deployments pose risks beyond Ukraine, potentially leading to crises and escalations in the Pacific region.
He expressed Ukraine's desire for closer cooperation with South Korea, particularly on air defense systems and drone technology, despite South Korea's legal restrictions on such cooperation.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
