Zelensky’s UN speech shifts focus to Russia’s war costs and North Korea’s role

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the UN General Assembly, stating Russia intends to occupy Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian cities, and provided data on Russian military losses in 2026. Zelensky reported Russia lost 248,964 soldiers from January to August 2026 while capturing just over 1,000 square kilometers of territory, which Ukraine has partly recaptured. He also said North Korea sent troops to Russia, and explained Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure aim to reduce Moscow's ability to finance the war. The speech shifted focus from Ukraine's suffering to the high cost of Russia's advance, framed North Korea as gaining military experience from the war, and questioned diplomacy without simultaneous economic and military pressure on Russia.