North Korea sending more ballistic missiles, troops to Russia as Ukraine's drones fly farther, Zelensky says

Russia has already received additional ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and is preparing for the arrival of more North Korean troops, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Aug. 10.

The president's announcement follows reports from Ukraine's military intelligence about the recent deployment of a North Korean missile unit on Russian soil — the latest development in a deepening military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang that has included supplies of both arms and troops.

Zelensky said in his video address that Russia's growing dependence on North Korea is a result of its increasing vulnerability to Ukrainian long-range strikes, which can now reach thousands of kilometers inside Russia.

"This is the first time in Russian history that they no longer have a secure strategic rear," the president said. "And this is the first time they cannot wage war without supplies from North Korea."

Russia's willingness to rely on North Korean support threatens global security, Zelensky argued, as Pyongyang is able to improve its defense capabilities in collaboration with Russian forces.

According to Zelensky, Russia is "now preparing to host an additional contingent of North Koreans on their territory. They've received, if you can imagine, additional ballistic missiles from North Korea. ... Ballistic missiles from North Korea, along with their other weapons, are being improved through collaboration with Russia."

Zelensky warned that North Korea's missile strikes against Ukraine posed a threat to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and other countries, as each attack lends North Korean forces the opportunity to improve its weapons and tactics.

"Therefore, when we speak of the need for joint action, for coordination and mutual support ... we are in fact also speaking of deterring North Korea's appetite and interest in coming here — to our land, into our skies — with its weapons to learn how to wage war," he said.

Previously, Zelensky said on July 25 that Russia is preparing to receive an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea to support the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) later told Reuters that a North Korean ballistic missile unit had set up positions in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, near the border with Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast. The unit is believed to consist of six launchers and 120 ballistic missiles, 40 of which Russian forces have likely already received.

Since the launch of the all-out war in 2022, Pyongyong and Moscow have deepened their military cooperation, with North Korea providing both ammunition, heavy weaponry, and personnel.

Russian forces have launched North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles during attacks against Ukraine. The first confirmed use of a North Korean missile by Russia came during an attack on Kharkiv on Jan. 2, 2024.

Zelensky said on July 30 that a North Korean missile likely killed six family members in Kryvyi Rih during a recent Russian attack.

North Korean troops have also engaged Ukrainians in combat alongside Russian forces. Ukraine has said that around 12,000 North Korean soldiers participated in Russia's 2024 counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast, aimed at pushing Ukrainian forces out of the region.

While the counteroffensive eventually succeeded, North Korean personnel suffered extremely high losses, according to HUR.