Russia is preparing to receive an additional 30,000 North Korean troops and new ballistic missile launchers to support its ongoing military operations, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated.
During his evening video address on July 25, Zelensky cited intelligence reports indicating that Moscow and Pyongyang are expanding their military cooperation.
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“Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea,” Zelensky said. “Since June, preparations have been underway in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive them.”
Zelensky added that North Korea is also preparing to transfer additional launchers for ballistic missiles to the Russian military. He framed the deepening partnership as a broader international security issue, noting that Moscow is providing North Korean forces with direct combat experience.
“This is a threat not only to Ukraine,” Zelensky stated. “Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them. All of this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within range of North Korean missiles. We will counter this.”
Systemic military-technical cooperation
The anticipated deployment in the Voronezh region follows an extensive history of arms transfers and military support from Pyongyang.
According to an assessment by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR), North Korea has become one of Russia’s most critical foreign military suppliers, currently providing between 25% and 40% of the Russian military’s artillery ammunition. HUR characterized the military-technical cooperation between the two nations as “systemic.”
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The intelligence agency reported that since June 2023, Russia has received more than 100 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, alongside their launchers, from North Korea. At least 80 of those missiles have already been deployed. The first documented use of a North Korean ballistic missile occurred on Dec. 29, 2023, in the Zaporizhzhia region, followed by a subsequent strike on Kharkiv on Jan. 2, 2024.
In addition to ballistic missiles, Pyongyang has delivered more than 600 artillery systems of various calibers. These include M-1989 Koksan 170mm self-propelled guns, M-1991 240mm multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), 107mm Type 63 rocket launchers, self-propelled anti-tank missile systems, D-74 122mm towed guns, and Type 76 140mm mortars.
HUR also noted that North Korea has supplied more than 7 million rounds of ammunition, encompassing mortar, artillery, tank, and rocket munitions ranging from 82mm to 240mm, as well as anti-tank guided missiles.
The agency estimates that North Korea’s defense industry is capable of producing between 1 million and 2 million artillery shells annually, with a minimum monthly capacity of 30,000 to 50,000 rounds.
“A significant portion of this production could be supplied to the Russian Federation if the appropriate political decision is made,” the HUR statement read. However, the agency noted there is currently no indication that Russia is utilizing high-tech North Korean-made components in the domestic production of drones or missile systems.
The planned deployment of 30,000 troops to the Voronezh region would represent a significant escalation in North Korean personnel commitments. Under a mutual defense pact signed in 2024, North Korea previously sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region.
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