Date: September 29, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said North Korea is preparing to send another 10,000 troops to Russia, adding to Pyongyang's growing military involvement in Moscow's war against Ukraine.
Zelenskiy said on Monday that more than 8,000 North Korean troops are currently on Russian territory and that another 10,000 are being selected for training before their planned deployment to Russia. He said the information was based on what he described as new data on North Korea's military support for Moscow.
The Ukrainian president made the claim in a post on X, saying the additional troops were “being selected for training and subsequent deployment to Russia.” He did not publicly provide further details about the intelligence behind the figure.
The latest claim comes as North Korea's military relationship with Russia continues to expand. Ukrainian and South Korean estimates indicate that Pyongyang has already sent between 14,000 and 15,000 troops to support Russia's war effort since 2024, with most deployed in Russia's Kursk region, where Russian forces have been fighting to repel a Ukrainian incursion.
North Korea's involvement has extended beyond personnel. Ukrainian and independent assessments cited by Reuters indicate that Pyongyang has supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, as well as ballistic missiles, long-range artillery systems and multiple-launch rocket systems.
Zelenskiy has previously warned that North Korea could increase its military deployment to Russia. In August, he said as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers could eventually be sent to Russia and called on South Korea to provide additional assistance to Ukraine, particularly in the area of air defence.
South Korea announced a $100 million aid package for Ukraine in July, although the package did not include lethal weapons.
The latest announcement also comes amid a diplomatic disagreement between Ukraine and South Korea over two North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces.
Last week, Zelenskiy announced that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. The two men had been captured in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025 and were the first North Korean soldiers captured alive since Pyongyang became directly involved in Russia's war against Ukraine.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret that the transfer had been publicly disclosed, saying Seoul and Kyiv had agreed to keep the matter confidential. South Korea also objected to a subsequent statement from the Ukrainian presidential office that denied such an agreement existed.
South Korean authorities have treated the status of the two soldiers as highly sensitive because of the potential consequences for their families and the wider security situation on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea had previously said it would accept North Korean prisoners captured while fighting for Russia if they did not want to be repatriated to North Korea or Russia.
North Korea and Russia have deepened their military relationship since Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in 2024. The agreement includes a mutual-assistance provision in the event either country faces external aggression.
Pyongyang has described its military deployment as support for a treaty partner. Ukraine, meanwhile, has warned that North Korean troops are gaining combat experience through their participation in the war and that the military relationship could have consequences beyond the battlefield in Ukraine.
Zelenskiy has also accused Russia of providing military technology to North Korea in return for Pyongyang's support. In his latest remarks, he said Russia was helping North Korea develop production capabilities for attack drones. That claim has not been independently verified by Reuters.
The reported preparation of another 10,000 troops would further increase the scale of North Korea's direct involvement in the conflict if the deployment takes place. However, Zelenskiy's figure represents a Ukrainian assessment, and Reuters has not independently verified that the additional troops are being prepared or that all 10,000 will ultimately be deployed.
The development comes as Russia continues to seek additional manpower and military resources for its war effort, while Ukraine is attempting to strengthen its air defences and other capabilities against Russian attacks.
For South Korea, North Korea's participation in the European war has also become a security concern because the military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow could give North Korea access to battlefield experience, technology and other forms of assistance.
The reported deployment therefore extends beyond the immediate Russia-Ukraine battlefield. It also highlights the increasingly interconnected security relationship among Russia, North Korea, Ukraine and South Korea, while adding another dimension to the broader geopolitical consequences of the war.