Russia to deploy North Korean troops in Ukraine in days: Zelensky

Russia is expected to deploy North Korean troops to the front lines of its war against Ukraine within days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

“According to intelligence, the first North Korean soldiers are expected to be deployed by Russia to combat zones as early as October 27–28,” Zelensky wrote Friday on social platform X.

“North Korea’s actual involvement in combat should not be met with indifference or uncertain commentary, but with tangible pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang, to uphold the UN Charter and to hold them accountable for this escalation,” Zelenskyy added in his post.

Zelensky last week warned that North Korea was sending 10,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces, and the United States on Wednesday confirmed that about 3,000 North Korean soldiers were training at military bases in Russia, spiking fears they would be used in Russia's battle against Kyiv.

“If North Korean troops were to invade Ukraine’s sovereign territory, the United States needs to seriously consider taking direct military action against the North Korean troops,” House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday.

And Ukrainian spies spotted North Korean troops entering the combat zone Thursday, raising concerns about the war’s escalation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not confirmed or denied his intentions to use North Korean soldiers in battle but insisted it was his country’s choice to make.

“When we have to decide something, we will decide ... but it is our sovereign decision whether we will apply it, whether we will not, whether we need it," Putin told Russian state television. "This is our business."

Putin has warned against interference from the West even as Zelensky has urged Ukraine’s allies to send additional weapons and munitions.

"The sooner they realise the futility of such an approach in relations with Russia, the better it will be for everyone, and perhaps, above all, for themselves," Putin said.

North Korea has long supplied Russia with artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles in return for access to critical technology and financial aid.

But North Korea and Russia entered a strategic partnership in June after Putin traveled to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, forming an alliance to “provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal” during a state of war for either country.

“Russia’s aggression has revealed deep cracks in the foundation of international security. It has exposed the UN’s inability to effectively respond to flagrant violations of its own Charter,” Ukrainian Cabinet member Andriy Yermak said in a statement. “A permanent member of the Security Council has become an aggressor. This undermines the basic principles of the Organization.”