Zelensky: Up to 50,000 North Korean Troops Could Be Deployed to Russia in New Wave

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said August 8, 2026 that new Ukrainian intelligence assessments indicate 'a decision has been made' for between 30,000 and 50,000 North Korean troops to be deployed to Russian territory — up sharply from his own July estimate of roughly 30,000 and from the ~15,000 troops South Korea's NIS had assessed deployed to Kursk Oblast earlier in 2026. Zelensky said Pyongyang is 'studying this war' and gaining modern combat experience under Russian command that could later threaten other countries in Asia, and said Ukrainian forces had recovered remnants of North Korean missiles on Ukrainian territory. He did not specify a deployment timeline or where the troops would be stationed. Kyiv had separately reported North Korea deploying a ballistic missile unit with up to 120 KN-23/24 missiles to Russia's Voronezh Oblast on August 5, 2026.