Zelensky says Russia has begun using North Korean troops heavily in Ukraine
Zelensky said Russia was deploying large numbers of North Korean soldiers for the first time to support its offensive in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s president said North Korean troops were reportedly attacking Ukrainian troops defending an enclave in Russia’s Kursk region.
“Today we have preliminary data showing that Russia has begun to use North Korean soldiers in attacks. Quite a number of them,” Zelensky said in a nighttime war speech.
Zelensky warned that the deployment of northern troops could expand to other war zones. Kiev estimates that about 11,000 North Korean troops are currently stationed in the area to bolster Russia’s military capabilities.
Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said the North Koreans had suffered casualties.
“The Russians count on numbers and try to carry out assault operations with the help of the North Koreans, whose task is to run under our troops and capture certain areas,” Kovalenko wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Zelensky laid flowers at the scene of the Russian missile attack in Zaporizhia on December 10 (Presidential Press Service of Ukraine)
The Kremlin has not confirmed or denied the involvement of North Korean troops.
Ukraine first reported the presence of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region in October. It comes as Ukraine faces growing pressure to hold on to the enclave it captured in a sudden incursion into Russian territory in August. The operation was intended to divert Moscow’s forces but has since been criticized for stretching Ukraine’s manpower along an already long front.
Moscow’s counteroffensive resulted in some of the fastest territorial gains in eastern Ukraine since 2022, despite Kiev insisting the move was of strategic importance, despite reports of heavy casualties among Russian troops.
A Ukrainian tank soldier of the 68th Jaeger Brigade rests next to a Leopard 1A5 tank during combat (AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian military reports indicate an escalation of fighting on the Kursk front, including intensified air strikes, artillery fire and glide bomb attacks.
From a broader perspective, the deployment of North Korean troops highlights the deepening relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang. The two countries signed a defense treaty in June pledging to provide each other with military assistance in the event of an attack. Since then, North Korea has reportedly supplied Russia with more than 100 ballistic missiles and millions of artillery shells. In return, Moscow allegedly provided financial aid and support for Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
Zelensky criticized the Kremlin’s actions, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging another country into the conflict. “Essentially, Moscow has dragged another country into this war, to the fullest extent. If this is not an escalation, what is the escalation that so many people have been talking about?” he said.
In his speech, the Ukrainian leader urged Western allies to step up support for Kyiv. He plans to meet with leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, NATO and the European Union in Brussels next week to discuss strengthening military aid.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reported destroying 15 Ukrainian drones overnight, 13 of them over the Black Sea and two in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
Agency’s Supplementary Report
