Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy says up to 50,000 North Korean troops to be deployed in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said up to 50,000 North ​Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia to fight for Pyongyang’s ally, while calling on South Korea to provide support for its air defense.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said up to 50,000 North ​Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia to fight for Pyongyang’s ally, while calling on South Korea to provide support for its air defense.

Zelenskyy said on X on Saturday that “a decision has been made for 30,000 ⁠to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia,” a higher figure than his estimate of 30,000 in July. He did not elaborate on how he obtained the information.

He said Kyiv had found some North Korean missiles in Ukraine’s territory, without disclosing their locations.

“It ⁠is absolutely clear that North Korea will ​continue ⁠to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licenses from Russia, and receive all kinds of military tools from them,” he said.

Urging Seoul to have ⁠closer cooperation with Kyiv, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine “would very much like to receive ​support ⁠from South Korea in an area where ‌we have a shortage,” referring to its air defense systems.