Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 25th (local time) that Russia is pushing to deploy an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to the front in Ukraine.
According to Reuters and other major foreign media, Zelensky said in a speech that day, "We are watching the cooperation between Russia and North Korea. Russia wants to receive an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea." He added, "Since June, preparations have been underway in Russia's Voronezh region to accommodate them." Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia adjacent to Ukraine.
Zelensky went on to claim, "North Korea is preparing to transfer additional ballistic missile launchers to Russia," adding, "This is not only a threat to Ukraine."
He said, "Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, upgrade its weapons, and gain combat experience," adding, "All of this is a threat to every Asian country within range of North Korean missiles."
North Korea has dispatched about 14,000 troops to Russia to support the invasion of Ukraine. North Korean forces also contributed early last year when Russia recaptured Kursk, a key stronghold in western Russia, from Ukrainian forces.
Zelensky also said, "I will instruct our intelligence agencies to share intelligence with partner countries related to Russia's support for the Iranian regime."
He said, "From early July, we detected that Russian satellites have been actively monitoring U.S. military facilities in Gulf countries and in the region," and claimed related satellite imagery is being used in Iran.
He continued, "There is a clear link between Russia's satellite imagery and Iran's attacks, both in the pre-attack preparation stage and in the subsequent damage assessment," saying Russian satellites looked at air bases in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait on the 19th–20th.
Zelensky also said comprehensive intelligence had been secured on Russia's fall war plans, adding that Russia President Vladimir Putin is preparing to expand the mobilization order for Russian forces.