{
  "id": 10572084,
  "title": "Ukraine says North Korea preparing to deploy another 10,000 troops to Russia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/ukraine-says-north-korea-preparing-to-deploy-another-10-000-troops-to-10572084",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T23:51:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/29/ukraine-says-north-korea-prepares-to-deploy-another-10-000-troops-to-russia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that there are over 8,000 North Korean troops currently on Russian territory, with preparations underway to deploy an additional 10,000 troops. These estimates come from new data provided by Zelensky, who stated that the North Korean soldiers are being trained and prepared for deployment in Russia. In August, Zelensky had previously stated that up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers could potentially be sent to fight alongside Russia.\n\nZelensky's remarks follow a recent disagreement between South Korea and Ukraine over the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul. South Korea expressed regret over the announcement, citing a confidentiality agreement that they claimed had been established. Despite this, Zelensky's comments come amid heightened tensions between North Korea and South Korea, following the latter's announcement of a $100 million aid package for Ukraine in July, which excluded lethal weapons.\n\nNorth Korea has been actively supporting Russia's war efforts in Ukraine since 2024, with estimates suggesting the deployment of between 14,000 and 15,000 troops. Most of these North Korean forces have been stationed in the Kursk region, providing crucial support to Russia in repelling Ukrainian advances. In addition to troop deployments, North Korea has also supplied Russia with substantial artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery systems, and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.",
  "summary": "President Volodymyr Zelensky cites 'new data' showing North Korean troops being selected for training before being sent to Russia.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ukrinform - Politics",
        "title": "Budanov: North Korea is learning from Russian-Ukrainian war and arming itself",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/budanov-north-korea-is-learning-from-russian-ukrainian-war-and-arming",
        "published": "2026-09-27T23:34:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "‘Currently impossible’: North Korea defections in freefall as Kim seals borders and China tightens surveillance",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/currently-impossible-north-korea-defections-in-freefall-as-kim-seals",
        "published": "2026-09-28T23:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Ukraine says North Korea preparing to deploy another 10,000 troops to Russia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/ukraine-says-north-korea-preparing-to-deploy-another-10-000-troops-to",
        "published": "2026-09-28T23:51:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}