North Korea to send up to 50,000 troops to Russia, Zelensky warns

North Korea is preparing to send a fresh wave of soldiers to fight in Russia's war in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has revised his estimate upward to as many as 50,000 troops. The fresh deployment would be a significant escalation of Pyongyang's military partnership with Moscow.

What happened to the first wave?

North Korea had previously deployed around 13,000 soldiers to support Russia's efforts to defend its Kursk region against a Ukrainian incursion. The first contingent suffered devastating losses — up to 3,000 killed in action — before adapting their tactics. Around 8,500 North Korean troops are still in Russia, organized into four brigades tasked with defending Russian territory in Kursk from Ukrainian counterattacks, according to Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). They are not currently engaged in active offensive operations in occupied Ukrainian territory.

Why would North Korea send more?

Analysts say Pyongyang views the deployment as profitable. In exchange for soldiers and ammunition, Russia has provided North Korea with advanced military technology, energy supplies, and financial support. "North Korea will continue to send its soldiers to fight in Russia's war, but only for as long as it is profitable to do so," wrote BBC international correspondent Quentin Sommerville. Defense researcher Dr Yang Uk from the Asan Institute in Seoul noted that North Korean forces have been "defending Russian territory for another counterattack from Ukraine," with some engineer corps possibly deployed in Russian-occupied Donbas.

Ukraine's concerns

Zelensky has appealed to South Korea to provide air defence support to Ukraine. The prospect of a significant increase in North Korean combat troops raises serious questions about the war's trajectory and the depth of the Russia-North Korea military alliance.