Troops from North Korea to boost Russia's Ukraine forces — SkimNews
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- North Korea sent 14,000-15,000 troops to Russia's Kursk region in late 2024, and Ukrainian and international intelligence agencies now suspect Pyongyang is planning an additional 30,000-50,000 troops.
- Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) reports North Korea has delivered 148 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles since 2025, with a missile unit deploying to Russia's Voronezh region equipped with up to 120 ballistic missiles.
- President Zelenskyy said in July that a North Korean missile struck a home near Kryvyi Rih, killing two adults and three children.
- Military experts Oleksandr Kovalenko and Ruslan Leviev told DW that North Korean troops would likely secure Russian border territories rather than fight on Ukrainian soil, freeing up to 15,000 Russian troops for battles in Vovchansk, Kharkiv, Sumy, or Chernihiv.
- Military expert Yuri Fyodorov called North Korean missiles "instruments of terror," telling DW Russia deliberately targeted residential areas — weapons that can only be stopped by US-made Patriot air-defense systems, which Ukraine has run critically low on.
- Economist Janis Kluge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs noted Russia is still recruiting around 1,000 contract soldiers daily, suggesting Moscow has sufficient forces without needing North Korean deployments.
- Jenny Town of the Foreign Policy Research Institute said the time has passed for North Korea's involvement to make a significant difference, with the two countries' partnership likely to deepen through the war.
Why it matters: Ukraine's critically low Patriot interceptors are the only defense against North Korean KN-23/KN-24 missiles now striking residential areas like the Kryvyi Rih home where five died in July. With Russia recruiting 1,000 soldiers daily and the prospect of freeing 15,000 troops for Vovchansk, Kharkiv, Sumy, or Chernihiv, experts warn Ukraine faces an especially difficult October-December 2026.
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