Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video on Saturday (July 25) that Russia wants to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops to take part in its conflict, Reuters reported. He claimed that preparations were already underway to receive the troops.
Under a mutual defense treaty, North Korea, a close ally of Moscow, sent an estimated 14,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk Region in 2024 to repel a major incursion by Ukrainian forces, the report said.
In April, South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western officials said that more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed fighting on Russia’s side, according to Reuters.
In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un officially inaugurated the Military Memorial Museum in the capital Pyongyang to pay tribute to soldiers who died fighting for Russia.
“We also see Russia’s cooperation with North Korea. Russia wants to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops,” Zelenskyy said in a video address.
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Zelenskyy claimed that preparations have been underway since June for Russia’s Voronezh region to receive troops and that North Korea is preparing to deliver new launchers for ballistic missiles to Moscow.
“This is a threat not only to Ukraine. Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them,” the Ukrainian president added.
