Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, says that more than 8,000 North Korean troops are currently present on Russian soil, and Moscow is preparing to send another 10,000 troops from that country.

Zelensky said on Monday, September 28, in a message on the social media platform X that according to new information, North Korean troops are being selected for training and then deployment to Russia.

He had also said in August that there was a possibility of deploying up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia and had asked South Korea to support Ukraine in the air defense sector.

Ukrainian and South Korean estimates show that North Korea has sent about 14,000 to 15,000 troops since 2024 to support Russia in the Ukraine war.

According to these assessments, a large portion of these forces have been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region to confront Ukrainian forces.

Also, Ukraine and some independent assessments have said that Pyongyang has provided Russia with millions of artillery and mortar shells, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery systems, and multiple rocket launchers.

Alongside these developments, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has issued a decree increasing the number of active troops in the country’s army to 1,550,000.

With this increase, the total number of Russia’s armed forces reaches 2,441,630.

According to a Reuters report, the number of active Russian troops in this decree has increased by 15,500.