North Korea is preparing to deploy another 10,000 soldiers to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed, raising the prospect of a significant expansion of Pyongyang’s direct involvement in the war.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received new intelligence showing that potential recruits were being selected for training before being transferred to Russia. He also claimed that more than 8,000 North Korean military personnel were already present on Russian territory.

The Ukrainian president did not say when the new contingent was expected to arrive or whether the soldiers would be sent into combat. The claim has not been independently verified, and neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has publicly confirmed preparations for another deployment.

Ukraine had previously offered considerably higher estimates. Zelenskyy said in July that Russia was preparing facilities in the Voronezh region for as many as 30,000 additional North Korean troops. The following month, he claimed that between 30,000 and 50,000 personnel could eventually be sent to Russia.

The latest figure appears to describe a more immediate contingent undergoing selection and training rather than the total number that could eventually be deployed.

North Korea has already sent an estimated 14,000 to 16,000 soldiers to Russia since late 2024. Most were deployed to the Kursk region after Ukrainian forces crossed the border and captured Russian territory in August that year.

Moscow and Pyongyang initially remained silent about the deployment. Both governments acknowledged it in April 2025, after Russia said it had recaptured the territory held by Ukrainian forces. North Korea said its soldiers had fought under the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed by Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin in June 2024.

That agreement commits each country to provide military assistance if the other comes under armed attack. Pyongyang presented the Kursk deployment as a lawful response to a request from Russia, while Ukraine and its allies described it as an internationalisation of the conflict.

The deployment has given North Korean troops experience in drone warfare, artillery coordination and large-scale ground combat. This has caused concern in South Korea, where officials fear the soldiers could return with skills that strengthen Pyongyang’s capabilities on the Korean Peninsula.

Military cooperation between the two countries extends far beyond personnel. North Korea has supplied Russia with millions of artillery rounds, short-range ballistic missiles, rocket launchers and self-propelled artillery systems. Analysis of maritime shipments indicates that nearly 30,000 containers may have travelled from North Korea to Russia since mid-2023.

Zelenskyy also claimed that Russia was helping North Korea establish domestic production of Shahed-type attack drones in return for troops and military support. That allegation has not been independently confirmed, but previous assessments have warned that Pyongyang could receive missile, satellite, aviation and air-defence technology from Moscow.

Even if the additional troops remain inside Russia, their deployment could affect the Ukrainian battlefield. North Korean forces assigned to border security, reconstruction or logistical duties would allow Moscow to transfer more Russian soldiers to active combat zones.

A further deployment of 10,000 troops would therefore deepen an alliance that has already moved from weapons transfers to direct participation in the war. It would also provide Russia with additional manpower while allowing North Korea to gain money, technology and battlefield experience from a conflict far beyond the Korean Peninsula.