Zelenskyy says Russia plans to bring up to 50,000 more North Koreans into war effort
By SCN News Desk
KYIV, Aug 8 (SCN NEWS) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia plans to bring an additional 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans into its war effort, as military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang deepens more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said a decision had been made to involve the North Koreans in war-related tasks and that they were expected to be based initially on Russian territory. His latest estimate expands on an earlier warning that Moscow was preparing to bring in around 30,000 additional North Korean personnel.
The Ukrainian president said North Korea's involvement was growing as Pyongyang sought battlefield experience and military knowledge from its partnership with Russia.
There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow or Pyongyang of a new deployment on the scale described by Zelenskyy, and his latest estimate could not be independently verified.
North Korea has already become a significant military supporter of Russia. Reuters reported this week that around 14,000 to 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia since 2024, primarily to support operations in the Kursk region, with about 9,500 estimated to remain there.
Pyongyang has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery rounds, ballistic missiles and other military equipment. Reuters reported that North Korean munitions have become an important source of ammunition for Russian forces.
Russia and North Korea have sharply expanded their military relationship since President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership treaty in 2024 that included a mutual-defense commitment.
Russian strikes kill child and grandparents near Kyiv
Zelenskyy's comments came as Russian attacks killed civilians in and around the Ukrainian capital overnight.
A three-year-old boy and his grandparents were killed in the village of Puhivka near Kyiv when Russian drones struck the area, Zelenskyy said. Another person was killed in a separate ballistic missile attack on Kyiv.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched six ballistic missiles and 151 drones during the overnight assault.
Ukrainian forces shot down or suppressed 135 drones, according to the air force, but Kyiv continues to face difficulties intercepting ballistic missiles amid shortages of advanced air-defense ammunition.
Zelenskyy renewed calls for greater international pressure on Moscow, accusing Putin of prolonging the war through continued missile and drone attacks.
Russia has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians and says its strikes are aimed at Ukrainian military and military-related infrastructure.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has stepped up long-range attacks inside Russia, targeting oil refineries, logistics facilities and other sites Kyiv says support Moscow's military operations.
The latest developments come as the war increasingly draws in military resources from outside Europe, with North Korea emerging as one of Russia's most important suppliers of troops, ammunition and ballistic missiles.