Russia expects another 30,000 North Korean soldiers – Zelensky

Another 30,000 service members from North Korea are preparing to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Saturday.

He noted that arrangements have been underway in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive them, while the DPRK is set to transfer more launchers for ballistic missiles to Russia.

Zelensky said the development is part of President Vladimir Putin’s plans for the fall season, which includes further mobilization that has added 220,000 recruits to the Russian Forces in 2026.

According to Zelensky, Russia is assisting North Korea to learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them.

“This is a threat not only to Ukraine,” the President warned. “All of this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within range of North Korean missiles.”

The Ukrainian leader also disclosed his country’s intel of “active Russian satellite surveillance” of the Gulf states and United States military facilities in the region.

The recording, he hinted, reveals a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of the targeted sites and Iranian strikes, both before the attacks and afterward.

Zelensky said the recording spans the month of July and would instruct intelligence officials to share information about Russia’s new assistance with Ukraine’s partners.

Over the weekend, Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea, killing one sailor and injuring another in violation of international law.

However, IRGC spokesperson Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told Tasnim that Iranian retaliatory strikes between July 8 and 22 inflicted heavy damage on multiple U.S. sites.

The targets included several aircraft, Patriot air defense and radar systems, satellite equipment, command-and-control centers, logistics hubs, fuel depots, missile sites, drone and fighter shelters.

Russia expects another 30,000 North Korean soldiers – Zelensky