North Korea’s Kim Yo-jong denies claim on additional troops deployment to Russia

North ⁠Korea’s Kim Yo-jong, sister of leader Kim Jong-un, on Wednesday denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that Pyongyang planned to send up to 50,000 more troops to Russia to fight for ‌its ally.Kim Yo-jong, a top official in North Korea’s ruling party, said in a statement published by state media KCNA that Zelensky’s estimate was “groundless” and “a self-staged incident”.Zelensky made his claim in a post on social media this month, and he called on South Korea to provide support ⁠for his country’s air defences.Kim Yo-jong said responsibility for the outbreak and ‌for the prolongation of the Ukraine crisis lay entirely with the United States and the West.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un welcomes soldiers who returned from an overseas deployment in Russia’s Kursk region during Moscow’s war with Ukraine, in Pyongyang in December 2025. Photo: KCNA via KNS / AFPNorth Korea sent an estimated 14,000 ‌soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region in 2024, under a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty ⁠agreed during ⁠Russian President Vladimir Putin’s June 2024 visit to Pyongyang.