Zelensky Says Over 8,000 North Korean Troops Are in Russia as Pyongyang Starts Shahed‑Type Drone Production
Ukraine’s president says more than 8,000 North Korean troops are already in Russia and about 10,000 more are being prepared, while Russian technical help has enabled North Korea to set up production of Shahed‑type attack drones.
Ukraine now links North Korea more directly to the war, with President Volodymyr Zelensky alleging that Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Russia and received drone technology in return.
Zelensky said Ukraine has obtained new information indicating that more than 8,000 North Korean military personnel are currently in Russia. He added that another 10,000 North Korean troops are undergoing selection and training for later deployment.
According to Zelensky, the arrangement is tied to technology transfers. With Russian technical assistance, he said, North Korea has established production of Shahed‑type attack drones. These drones have been widely used by Russia against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The reported troop numbers, training details and industrial scale of drone production have not been independently verified. As of the morning of 29 September, there was no public response from Russia or North Korea to Zelensky’s specific claims.
If North Korean personnel are present in Russia in the numbers Zelensky describes, Russian commanders could assign them to hold areas, staff rear positions or support sectors under pressure. At the same time, the claim that Shahed‑style drones are now being made in North Korea with Russian help points to a potential expansion of that weapon type beyond the current battlefield.
Shahed‑type drones are designed to be produced in large numbers and used to stress air defenses by forcing defenders to expend interceptors against relatively low‑cost targets. Russia has used them repeatedly against power facilities, rail hubs, fuel depots and residential areas in Ukraine.
A troop‑and‑technology arrangement of the kind Zelensky outlined would tighten links between Russia and North Korea, with the Ukraine war serving as the setting for that cooperation. It would also raise questions for governments that have tried to limit such exchanges through sanctions and export controls.
Officials and analysts watching this issue will look for imagery or other evidence of North Korean units in Russia, changes in North Korea’s own force posture, and debris or other signs that Shahed‑type drones made outside Iran or Russia are appearing in current or future conflicts.
Sources
- OSINT