Russia preparing more North Korean troops, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Russia was preparing to station more North Korean troops on its territory and had received additional ballistic missiles from Pyongyang.

Zelensky made the claims in his nightly address but did not present evidence or give a timeframe.

He said Russian forces could not wage war without support from North Korea and urged Japan and South Korea to provide air-defence aid. He said such support was needed to limit Pyongyang's military strength as it gains experience while helping Moscow.

At the weekend, Zelensky said a decision had been taken for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on Russian soil. He did not explain how he obtained the figures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a mutual defence pact in June 2024. Moscow used North Korean troops in a counteroffensive later that year that pushed Ukrainian forces out of Russia's border Kursk region.