Zelenskyy says North Korea preparing 10,000 more troops as Putin expands army
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 8,000 North Korean troops remain in Russia and that another 10,000 are being selected for training and deployment, as President Vladimir Putin ordered a 15,500-troop increase in Russia's authorized active force — the fourth such expansion this year.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
In his nightly address and related posts, Zelenskyy said "new data" showed North Korean personnel "being selected for training and subsequent deployment to Russia," Reuters via The Korea Herald and CNBC reported. He also said Russia has begun an additional mobilization push at home, increasing recruits "through various methods," including foreigners, Anadolu Agency and RFE/RL reported. Separately, a presidential decree published Monday on Russia's official legal information database set the armed forces' authorized strength at 2,441,630, including 1,550,500 military personnel — a 15,500 increase in active-service slots and the fourth such expansion order this year, CNBC reported. The Kremlin did not give a reason for the decree.
Why it matters
A fresh North Korean contingent would deepen Pyongyang's combat role after an earlier deployment — estimated by Ukrainian and South Korean assessments at roughly 14,000–15,000 troops since 2024, largely tied to Russia's Kursk region — and comes as Russia absorbs heavy losses heading into another winter of war, Reuters and CNBC noted. Zelenskyy said Russia is compensating North Korea partly with technology and that Shahed-type attack-drone production has been established in North Korea with Russian technical support — a Ukrainian allegation that, if accurate, would extend the war's industrial footprint beyond Europe.
What’s next
Watch whether South Korean, U.S., or other allied intelligence publicly corroborates a new North Korean training pipeline; any Russian or North Korean response beyond prior denials; and whether Putin's staffing decree is followed by a formal reservist call-up or remains a paper increase in authorized strength.
More context
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that more than 8,000 North Korean troops remain on Russian territory and that preparations are under way to select and train another 10,000 for deployment, as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a further increase in Russia's authorized military strength, CNBC, Reuters, and RFE/RL reported.
Uncertainty: Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims of a new mobilization wave; RFE/RL noted Putin has called such reports "utter nonsense," and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of trying to "ideologically destabilize" the situation inside Russia, Anadolu Agency reported. Zelenskyy's figures for the next 10,000 North Korean troops describe preparations and selection, not a completed arrival, and have not been confirmed by independent battlefield reporting in this round of coverage.
4 listed sources
- CNBC (Sam Meredith), Sep 29, 2026: Putin orders army expansion as Zelenskyy warns Russia preparing to deploy 10,000 North Korean troops
- Reuters via The Korea Herald, Sep 29, 2026: N. Korea prepares to deploy another 10,000 troops to Russia: Zelenskyy
- RFE/RL, Sep 29, 2026: Zelenskyy warns of new Russian mobilization, 10,000 North Korean troop deployment
- Anadolu Agency, Sep 28, 2026: Zelenskyy says Russia has begun additional mobilization
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
North Korean troop figures and the claim that another 10,000 are being prepared for training and deployment are Zelenskyy's statements citing Ukrainian military intelligence / "new data," as reported by Reuters (via Korea Herald), CNBC, Anadolu Agency, and RFE/RL on Sep 28–29, 2026 — not independently confirmed by Pyongyang or Moscow. Putin army-size decree figures (2,441,630 total authorized; 1,550,500 military personnel; +15,500) follow CNBC citing Russia's official legal information database, Sep 28–29. Shahed-type drone production in North Korea with Russian support is Zelenskyy's allegation as reported by CNBC and AA. Prior NK deployment estimates (about 14,000–15,000 since 2024) follow Reuters via Korea Herald. Kremlin denials of a new mobilization wave follow RFE/RL and AA (Peskov).
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