Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said another 10,000 North Korean troops are being prepared for deployment to Russia, amid continuing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Zelenskyy made the claim in his evening address on September 28, 2026, saying Ukraine had received new information from its Defence Intelligence agency about Russia’s recruitment efforts and North Korean military personnel. He said more than 8,000 North Korean troops were already on Russian territory, while another 10,000 were being selected for training before being sent to Russia.
According to Zelenskyy, the additional personnel would form part of Russia’s efforts to increase the number of foreign recruits supporting its war against Ukraine. He also alleged that Moscow was providing technological assistance to Pyongyang in exchange for its military support.
The Ukrainian president further claimed that North Korea had established production of Shahed-type attack drones with Russian technical support. That assertion was part of his broader description of the expanding military relationship between the two countries and has not been independently verified.
North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine is not new. Ukraine and South Korea have estimated that Pyongyang has sent between 14,000 and 15,000 troops to support Russia since 2024, with many deployed in Russia’s Kursk region. North Korea has also supplied Russia with artillery ammunition and missiles, according to Ukrainian, South Korean and independent assessments.
The latest Ukrainian claim follows earlier warnings from Zelenskyy about a possible larger North Korean deployment. In August, he said as many as 50,000 North Korean soldiers could eventually be sent to support Russia, although those earlier figures were projections rather than evidence that such a deployment had occurred.
The reported preparations also come as Russia continues to expand its own military recruitment. On September 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree increasing the authorised size of the country’s armed forces, including an increase in active-duty personnel to about 1.55 million, according to reports on the decree.
The potential deployment of another North Korean contingent would further deepen the military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang. A recent analysis by Chatham House said North Korea’s military relationship with Russia had expanded beyond ammunition supplies to include troops, military technology and battlefield experience.
However, the reported 10,000-person deployment remains an assertion from the Ukrainian side. As of September 29, there was no independent confirmation that all of the additional troops had been deployed to Russia. Reuters likewise reported the development as Zelenskyy’s claim based on new Ukrainian information.