Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskyy claims 30,000-50,000 North Korean troops to be deployed to advance Moscow's fight

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday (local time) warned that a decision has been made to deploy roughly 30,000 to 50,000 North Korean troops to Russia to help President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

North Korea to benefit from Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskyy

He made these remarks in an interview with Ukrainian media and shared it on his X account, writing, "North Koreans appear on the territory of the Russian Federation from time to time. We see this, we know this. At first, we were talking about hundreds, then thousands, and now a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia."

Zelenskyy claimed that North Korea is "studying this war", a move that could eventually pose a threat to other Asian countries because it will "gain experience in modern warfare under Russia."

The Ukrainian president further said that the country's military has already found North Korean missiles on its territory and added, "Today, this is already an established fact. It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licenses from Russia, and receive all kinds of military tools from them. We understand this very clearly."

Ukraine seeks support from South Korea

As a result, Zelenskyy sought support from South Korea and called for closer cooperation between the two countries. He noted, "We would very much like to receive support from South Korea in an area where we have a shortage. That is air defense systems. And we are ready to work on the Drone Deal and other areas as well. They have a legal restriction under their Constitution. But we would like to have this cooperation and are counting on it."

Zelenskyy meets Serbian leader to garner support

Zelenskyy also stepped up diplomatic efforts to garner international support for Ukraine, meeting with Serbia's leadership. On Saturday, he made his first visit to Serbia to boost ties with the Balkan country, whose leader has reportedly been scaling back his once-close ties with Russia, Bloomberg reported.

After their meeting in Belgrade, Zelenskyy and his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, told reporters that the two sides would work together on the common goal of joining the European Union. Vucic's government also pledged more humanitarian aid, infrastructure and energy equipment for Ukraine.

Russia-Ukraine war

Zelenskyy's remarks come at a time when Moscow has been ramping up its offensive in Kyiv, with no end in sight for the nearly five-year-old war. Russia's Defence Ministry on Saturday (local time) continued its strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure and vessels supporting the Ukrainian military, Reuters reported.

The ministry noted that Russian troops used precision air-launched weapons and attack drones to target military warehouses containing communications and electronic warfare equipment in the Black Sea port of Odesa.

According to the ministry, Russian forces targeted a cargo ship carrying military equipment and a warehouse containing weapons and other military supplies at the port of Mykolaiv. It also said that a second dry cargo vessel carrying military supplies for Ukraine's armed forces was struck in the Black Sea.

(with agency inputs)