North Korea to Send Up to 50,000 Troops to Russia
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- Zelenskyy announced North Korea is preparing to deploy 30,000–50,000 troops to Russia, revising upward from the 30,000 figure he cited in late July; Ukrainian sources say the new forces could arrive by the end of November.
- The surge would be on top of the original ~14,000–15,000 combat troops already in Russia plus 6,000 sappers and construction workers, with new forces reportedly taking over rear-area duties in Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod.
- South Korean intelligence estimates roughly 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded, and former NIS deputy director Han Ki-bum estimates about 2,000 may have died, with 1,000–2,000 already returned home.
- Zelenskyy separately confirmed Russia received more North Korean ballistic missiles, allegedly used in an attack on Zaporizhzhia, and urged South Korea to boost cooperation with Ukraine on air defense and drones.
- North Korean women have recently been observed heading to Russia, though defector-turned-analyst Ahn Chan-il said it remains unclear whether they are being sent for reconstruction work or as medical personnel.
- South Korean lawmaker Yu Yong-weon, who visited Ukraine in February, told DW he heard claims of the surge on that trip and warned the expansion "seems to be becoming a reality."
- The Ukraine conflict is functioning as a live training ground: surviving North Korean soldiers could return home as instructors with experience in drone warfare and reconnaissance — but rising casualties risk turning battlefield experience into a domestic burden for Pyongyang, according to Ahn.
Why it matters: The surge would more than triple North Korea's current deployment in Russia, giving Moscow fresh manpower at a moment when the war is "largely deadlocked," per former NIS deputy Han Ki-bum. North Korean troops absorbing rear-area duties frees experienced Russian soldiers for frontline combat, while Ukraine simultaneously absorbs more North Korean ballistic missiles, as Zelenskyy confirmed after the Zaporizhzhia strike.
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