North Korea plans to send 30,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine: Report

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (C) observing a display by the artillery divisions of the Grand Coalition Force of the Korean People's Army at an undisclosed location on May 30, 2025

North Korea plans to ramp up its military contribution to Russia’s war in Ukraine by sending an additional 25,000–30,000 troops, potentially tripling its current deployment, according to a CNN report citing Ukrainian intelligence.

Last fall, Pyongyang quietly dispatched around 11,000 soldiers to support Moscow’s defenses near Kursk, helping repel Ukrainian advances. Of these, about 4,000 were reportedly wounded or killed, yet Washington and Seoul confirm that despite heavy losses, collaboration has intensified.

Ukrainian intelligence suggests the new batch of troops could arrive in Russia within months, primed for deployment in large-scale Russian offensive operations. Russia's Defense Ministry is reportedly equipping the North Koreans with weapons, ammunition, and gear so they can blend into Russian combat units.

Satellite images analysed by CNN and the Open Source Centre - a UK-based defence-intelligence group - indicate Russian troop transporters arriving at the port of Dunai and activity at North Korea’s Sunan airport. The use of Il-76 cargo planes and reconfigured aircraft for troop transfer hints at a large-scale mobilisation through Siberia.

“Satellite imagery shows a Russian personnel carrier arriving at Dunai in May, and activity at Sunan airport in May and June... This appears to indicate the routes previously used to move DPRK troops are active,” said Joe Byrne, senior analyst at the Open Source Centre.

The new troop wave is expected to bolster Moscow's offensive in occupied Ukrainian territories, where the North Koreans will likely be embedded within Russian formations. This marks a major escalation in North Korea’s direct role in the war - a stark shift from supplying manpower to actively shaping battlefield dynamics.