Troops from North Korea to boost Russia's Ukraine forces
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- North Korea initially deployed 14,000-15,000 troops to Russia's Kursk region in late 2024, and Ukrainian and international intelligence agencies now suspect Pyongyang is planning to send an additional 30,000-50,000 soldiers.
- Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) reports North Korea has delivered 148 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles to Russia since 2025, with another missile unit deploying to Russia's Voronezh region where it could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles.
- President Zelenskyy warned that North Korea's improved combat and weapons experience threatens both Ukraine and the Asia-Pacific region; in July, a KN-series missile struck a home near Kryvyi Rih, killing two adults and three children.
- Military analyst Yuri Fyodorov called the North Korean missiles "instruments of terror," citing their lower accuracy and Russia's deliberate targeting of residential areas; both the KN-23/24 and Russia's Iskander can only be stopped by US-made Patriots, which Ukraine has run critically low on.
- Ukrainian security expert Oleksandr Kovalenko told DW the new North Korean troops would likely secure Kursk and Voronezh border territories, freeing up roughly 15,000 Russian troops for front-line battles in Vovchansk, Kharkiv, Sumy or Chernihiv.
- Multiple DW-sourced analysts — including Ruslan Leviev, Jenny Town and Janis Kluge — said North Korean involvement will not be a turning point, but Kovalenko warned October through December could become "very trying" for Ukraine as Russia benefits from freed-up fighters and a sustained missile supply.
Why it matters: North Korean missile reserves let Russia keep striking Ukrainian cities even if its own stockpiles run low by winter, while ~15,000 freed-up Russian troops could intensify assaults on northeastern Ukraine during the harshest months. Ukraine's critical shortage of Patriot interceptors means each additional KN-23 or KN-24 launched is harder to stop.
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