Zelensky warns Russia plans to deploy 10,000 more North Korean troops

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia is preparing to deploy 10,000 additional North Korean troops, on top of the 8,000 already fighting in the war, citing new intelligence. Zelensky stated on X that North Koreans were being selected for training and deployment to Russia. This follows a Russian presidential decree increasing the army's size to 1.55 million active servicemen, the fourth such increase in seven months. North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops since 2024, mostly in the Kursk region, and supplied artillery and missiles. Zelensky's comments came amid tensions with Seoul over the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.