Zelenskyy claims 8,000 North Korean troops are currently fighting for Russia
Zelenskyy said they were "being selected for training and subsequent deployment to Russia."
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned there are more than 8,000 North Korean troops fighting for Russia.
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He added that preparations were underway to deploy another 10,000 to Russian soil.
Citing "new data" on the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, Zelenskyy said they were "being selected for training and subsequent deployment to Russia."
The Ukrainian president said in August that up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers could be sent to fight for Russia, and called on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine's air defence.
North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine since 2024, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates.
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Pyongyang has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, as well as ballistic missiles, long-range artillery systems and multiple-launch rocket systems.
South Korea announced in July a $100 million aid package for Ukraine, although it excluded lethal weapons.
Zelenskyy's comments on Monday came after Seoul and Kyiv were at odds over his announcement last week that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.
In early 2025, Ukraine said its forces had captured the two North Korean soldiers as prisoners of war.
After more than a year of negotiations between Seoul and Kyiv, Zelenskyy announced the soldiers had been transferred to South Korea at the UN General Assembly last Wednesday
Seoul expressed regret over his announcement, citing an agreement to keep the transfer confidential.
South Korea also protested against what it called a false statement from the Ukrainian presidential office denying that such a confidentiality agreement existed.
Seoul demanded Ukraine apologise for "announcing a falsehood".