President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia is looking to bring in an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea to support its war effort in Ukraine, a move he says shows Moscow’s growing reliance on outside help to sustain its offensive.
Speaking about the latest intelligence, Zelensky said the reported deployment would be part of a broader push by Russia to replenish manpower as the conflict drags on. According to him, the Kremlin has been turning to Pyongyang for both weapons and personnel in recent months, and the request for tens of thousands of extra soldiers would mark a significant escalation in that cooperation.
Ukrainian officials argue that the need to seek troops abroad reflects mounting pressure on Russia’s own military resources, with heavy losses and recruitment challenges making it harder to maintain frontline numbers. The involvement of North Korean forces, if confirmed, would also deepen the geopolitical dimensions of the war and draw further international condemnation.
Kyiv has urged its partners to respond with stronger sanctions and increased military support, saying that allowing Russia to import manpower from North Korea would prolong the fighting and raise the human cost. Zelensky framed the reported plan as evidence that Moscow cannot achieve its objectives with its own forces alone.
There has been no independent confirmation of the figure from North Korea or Russia, and both countries have previously denied direct military cooperation of this scale. For now, Ukrainian authorities say they are monitoring the situation closely, warning that the arrival of additional foreign troops would represent a dangerous new phase in a war that has already reshaped security across Europe.
