KYIV, Ukraine-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says North Korea could deploy as many as 50,000 troops to Russia, signalling a potential expansion of Pyongyang’s military involvement in Moscow’s war against Ukraine as Kyiv appeals for stronger international support for its air defences.
The figure is significantly higher than the estimated 30,000 North Korean troops Zelensky cited in July. Ukraine says North Korea has already supplied Russia with soldiers, ballistic missiles, artillery and millions of rounds of ammunition.
Zelensky said Kyiv had recovered North Korean missiles from Ukrainian territory and warned that Pyongyang was gaining valuable battlefield experience through its cooperation with Moscow.
“It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licences from Russia, and receive all kinds of military tools from them,” Zelensky said.
North Korean military involvement
North Korea reportedly sent about 14,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk region in 2024, where they helped Russian forces fight Ukrainian troops following Kyiv’s incursion into the area.
Thousands of North Korean soldiers have reportedly been killed or wounded.
Ukraine and independent assessments have also accused Pyongyang of supplying Russia with millions of artillery and mortar shells, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems.
A Ukrainian military intelligence official told Reuters this month that a North Korean missile unit had begun deploying personnel and equipment to western Russia. The unit could potentially be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers, according to the official.
The growing military relationship has raised concerns in Kyiv and Seoul over the transfer of battlefield experience and advanced military technology between Russia and North Korea.
Ukraine seeks South Korean air defences
Zelensky also appealed to South Korea for assistance with air defence systems, saying Ukraine faces a serious shortage of advanced systems capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
“We would very much like to receive support from South Korea in an area where we have a shortage,” Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine was ready to pursue drone and other defence agreements with Seoul, with Ukrainian diplomats already engaging their South Korean counterparts.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on high-end air defence systems such as the US-made Patriot to protect major cities and critical infrastructure from Russian missile attacks.
Turkey prepares major arms package
Turkey is also preparing a weapons package for Ukraine that could include 70 US-made ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles, according to US congressional documents.
Because the weapons are of American origin, Washington would have to approve their transfer from Turkey to Ukraine. The US State Department has indicated that it is prepared to authorise the resale.
The proposed package would also include 47,000 artillery rounds, 12 M270 multiple-launch rocket systems and more than 2,000 cluster munitions, according to the State Department notice.
The potential deal would significantly increase Ukraine’s ability to strike targets at longer ranges and strengthen its artillery capabilities.
Russian strikes hit Ukrainian cities
Russian missile attacks continued to cause casualties and damage across Ukraine.
In Kharkiv, Russian missiles struck a high-rise apartment building in the Saltivskyi district, killing two people and injuring 13, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.
In Odesa, Zelensky said eight people were wounded after Russian strikes damaged the power grid, port facilities and residential buildings.
Another strike near a shopping centre in Pavlohrad, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, damaged energy infrastructure and wounded nine people, including four children.
Zelensky defended Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets, including oil refineries, air-defence systems and radar installations, as legitimate responses to Moscow’s attacks.
“The Russian war will be increasingly felt at home, in Russia,” he said.
WHO warehouse destroyed
The World Health Organization said a warehouse containing medical supplies in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was destroyed in Russian strikes on Friday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the attack and called for greater protection of healthcare facilities and humanitarian infrastructure.
“Attacks on health care must stop,” Tedros said, warning that such strikes deprive civilians of lifesaving medical assistance.
Drone war expands beyond Ukraine
Ukrainian drone attacks also continued against targets inside Russia.
In Novorossiysk, Ukrainian drones damaged commercial facilities and a residential property, according to the city’s mayor, Andrey Kravchenko.
The Black Sea port is home to a major fuel terminal connected to Kazakhstan’s oil production and international markets and has previously been targeted by Ukrainian forces.
Russia, meanwhile, said Ukrainian drones killed five people and injured about two dozen others in the Belgorod region.
Drone incidents raise regional concerns
The conflict also generated new security concerns in neighbouring countries.
Bulgaria summoned Ukraine’s ambassador after a drone crossed into Bulgarian airspace and exploded near an international gas pipeline after entering from Romania.
Bulgarian authorities said there were no casualties or damage and suggested the incident was likely accidental. Ukraine denied deliberately targeting Bulgaria and said the two countries remained in close contact over the incident.
In neighbouring Moldova, police reported a powerful explosion in the village of Crocmaz near the Ukrainian border. Investigators found fragments believed to belong to a combat drone. No injuries were reported.
The origin of the drone was not immediately established.
Allies urged to strengthen air defence
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has urged Ukraine’s allies to increase their support for air-defence systems ahead of winter.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Streeting warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could seek to exploit winter conditions by targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
He said the international coalition supporting Kyiv needed to turn political support from roughly 50 countries into concrete military assistance.
The call comes as Ukraine prepares for another winter in which Russian attacks on electricity generation, transmission networks and other critical infrastructure could threaten civilian life.
Pope calls for protection of civilians
Pope Leo also renewed his appeal for an end to the war, warning of the mounting civilian toll in both Ukraine and Russia.
“Tragic incidents are multiplying, causing an ever-growing number of civilian victims, including children,” the pontiff said before the Angelus prayer.
He called for international humanitarian law to be respected and urged both sides to stop attacks against civilian targets.
According to the United Nations, more than 16,000 civilians have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with the overwhelming majority of the victims in Ukraine.
With North Korean military involvement potentially expanding, Ukraine seeking additional air-defence systems and Russia continuing attacks on cities and infrastructure, the war is entering another increasingly internationalised phase.
