Moscow wants more meat. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claims Russia is prepping to absorb another 30,000 North Korean soldiers into its war machine. The infrastructure is already being laid. According to Zelenskiy, Russia’s Voronezh region has been quietly preparing to receive the new arrivals since June.
This is not a new trick. Pyongyang already shipped roughly 14,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk region back in 2024, helping the Kremlin push back a surprise Ukrainian incursion. That was a transaction sealed under a mutual defense pact. Now, the partnership is scaling up.
It is not just about bodies. Pyongyang is also reportedly gearing up to send new ballistic missile launchers to the front.
It is a terrifyingly practical exchange. Russia gets cheap infantry. Kim Jong Un gets a live-fire testing ground. Zelenskiy pointed out the obvious: North Korea is learning how to wage modern war, refine its weaponry, and blood its troops. That is bad news for Ukraine. It is worse news for Asia. Every nation within range of Pyongyang’s missiles is now facing a more lethal neighbor.
Ukraine promises to fight back. How they will counter this massive influx of foreign troops remains to be seen. The war just got bigger. Again.
