North Korea may deploy up to 50,000 troops to Russia's war in Ukraine

September 14, 2026 at 04:16 AM2 min

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that North Korea may deploy up to 50,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine, revising an earlier estimate of 30,000. He called on South Korea to provide air defense support. North Korean forces previously suffered heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region, with as many as 3,000 killed from 13,000 deployed.

Key Facts

Zelensky warned that up to 50,000 North Korean troops could be deployed in Russia, revising an earlier estimate of 30,000.
North Korea previously sent 13,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces, with as many as 3,000 killed in action.
Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) estimates 8,500 North Korean servicemen remain on Russian territory, organized into four brigades.
Zelensky called on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine's air defense.

North Korean Deployment

North Korea's soldiers were sent to fight by Pyongyang alongside Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian offensive on Moscow's territory at the end of 2024. They paid a heavy price, with as many as 3,000 killed in action from the 13,000 deployed. Ultimately, they adapted their tactics and, with Russia, drove Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region. According to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, North Korean forces and their weaponry are soon to make a dramatic return to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Current Status

The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, HUR, estimates that 8,500 North Korean servicemen are still on Russian territory. They are organized into four brigades, which operate as part of the 'North' Group of Forces and are assigned to protecting the state border of the Russian Federation in the Kursk Region from Ukrainian incursions. HUR said in a statement to the BBC that North Korean units do not participate in active combat operations and have not been observed in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Dr Yang Uk, research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, said North Korean troops are still there, defending Russian territory for another counterattack from Ukraine.

Strategic Implications

For North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, the Kursk deployment was a gamble, its largest combat force ever sent overseas. Despite the bloodshed, it was a gamble that paid off, reaping countless benefits for the isolated and impoverished country, transforming both its economic and military fortunes. The deployment could serve as a blueprint for even deeper military cooperation. Yang said North Koreans now know what modern combat is about.