Troops from North Korea to boost Russia's Ukraine forces

In late 2024 , North Korea sent troops to help defend the Kursk region of Russia from Ukraine . International officials estimate that 14,000-15,000 North Korean troops were initially deployed to assist Russia in its war in Ukraine ..

Now, Ukrainian and international intelligence agencies suspect that North Korea is planning to send an additional 30,000-50,000 troops to Russia . Ukrainian officials have also stated that North Korean ballistic missiles are being fired from Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised concerns that North Korea's improved combat and weapons experience could pose a security threat to Ukraine, as well as the Asia-Pacific region.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Observers have had mixed responses to Zelenskyy's remarks. Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military and political expert at the Ukrainian Center for Security Studies, told DW that new troops from North Korea would likely be used to secure Russia's border territories. Aside from remaining in Kursk, North Korean soldiers could also help secure southwestern Vornezh.

"These forces could free up Russian occupational forces," Kovalenko said. "Russia would then be able to deploy around 15,000 troops to battles along front lines in Vovchansk, Kharkiv, Sumy or even Chernihiv."

Kovalenko does not expect North Korean troops to fight on Ukrainian territory.

The Russian military analyst Ruslan Leviev agrees. "It's one thing to recapture Russian territory," he told DW, "and an entirely different thing to be present on internationally recognized Ukrainian territory, taking part in a war of aggression."