Russia asks North Korea to send 30,000 extra troops to aid in Ukraine war: Zelensky

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia has sought an extra 30,000 troops and missile launchers from North Korea to fight his country.Preparations for the extra troops are being made in Russia’s Voronezh region near the frontier with Ukraine, Zelensky said in a social media post late Saturday.North Korea sent thousands of troops to help Russia fight off a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kursk region in 2024. It has also provided arms to help Russia’s invasion since 2022.According to South Korea, some 2,000 North Korean troops have been killed in the war.“Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea. Since June, preparations have been under way in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive them,” Zelensky said on social media.Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) welcomes North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui ahead of a meeting in Moscow on Monday. Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry/AFP“North Korea is also preparing to transfer additional launchers for ballistic missiles to Russia. This is a threat not only to Ukraine. Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them,” he added.