Russia wants to bring in 30,000 North Korean troops to conflict

July 25 (Reuters) – Russia wants to bring in 30,000 North Korean troops to join the more than four-year conflict and is preparing to welcome them, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.

Under the mutual defense pact, North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk Region in 2024 to help Moscow repel a major offensive by Ukrainian forces into the region.

In his night video speech, Zelenskiy said, “We also see Russia’s cooperation with North Korea. Russia wants to bring 30,000 more North Korean soldiers.” he said. “Preparations to receive them have been ongoing in Russia’s Voronezh region since June.”

Zelenskiy said that North Korea is preparing to provide Russia with new launchers for ballistic missiles.

“This is not just a threat to Ukraine. Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons and gain real combat experience in using them,” he said.

“All of this poses a threat to every country in Asia that is within range of North Korean missiles.”

Zelenskiy promised that Ukraine would respond to this threat.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar Editing by Matthew Lewis)