Russia to Free Up Manpower by Replacing Border Troops With North Korean Soldiers, Ukraine Says
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army said on Monday that Russia might replace up to 20,000 border troops with North Korean soldiers to reinforce the active sectors on the front line. The statement came after Zelensky warned that North Korea might send up to 50,000 soldiers to Russia, while Western intelligence suggests that Russia is delaying its mobilization plans despite high…
Ukrainian officials claim Russia plans to replace border troops with North Korean soldiers to free up manpower for frontline combat, according to a Ukrainian military spokesperson on Monday. Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, stated on television that up to 20,000 combat-ready Russian border troops could be transferred to the "hottest destinations" on the battlefield, with North Korean troops taking their place.
This move, according to Bratchuk, is aimed at reallocating Russian combat units from the Russian border region to the most active sectors of the Russian-Ukrainian front. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, mentioned in early August that North Korea intends to station between 30,000 and 50,000 troops in Russia, as North Korea has reportedly increased its arms transfers and potentially deployed ballistic missile launchers and personnel to Russian regions near Ukraine.
Although Zelensky has predicted a potential major mobilization in autumn 2026 to replenish Russian forces, Western reports suggest Russia is currently relying on volunteers and delaying the mobilization. Russia and North Korea signed a defense agreement in June 2024, with Pyongyang deploying troops to Russia's Kursk region in October 2024 to assist Moscow in recapturing lost territories.
Initial denials followed by later acknowledgments of North Korean troop deployments occurred in April 2025.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
