Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is preparing to deploy additional North Korean troops and has also received more ballistic missiles from North Korea. He also warned that the more North Korea accumulates combat experience through cooperation with Russia, the greater the security threat could grow for neighboring countries such as Korea and Japan.
According to the Ukrainian presidential office on the 10th (local time), Zelenskyy said in a national address that day, "Unable to secure a safe rear, Russia can no longer wage war without reinforcements from North Korean troops," adding, "Russia is preparing to deploy additional North Korean troops on its own territory."
He also said Russia continues to receive weapons support from North Korea. Zelenskyy said, "Russia has also received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea," and "North Korea's ballistic missiles and other weapons are being improved through cooperation with Russia."
The estimated scale of North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia, as assessed by Ukrainian intelligence authorities, is also growing. Zelenskyy said the number of North Korean troops to be deployed on Russian territory will reach as many as 50,000, far exceeding the previous estimate of 30,000 given the day before.
Zelenskyy warned that North Korea's accumulation of experience in operating troops and weapons through the war in Ukraine could threaten East Asian countries.
He said, "The more North Korea's missiles and troops are used, and the more it compensates for its lack of experience, the greater the risks faced by other countries in the region, including Japan, Korea, and the Philippines."
He went on to stress that asking allies to support air defenses "means we must discourage North Korea's desire and interest in coming to our land and airspace to learn war."
Ukraine is also expanding its attacks on Russia's rear areas. Zelenskyy said that day, "Ukrainian forces struck a refinery in Tobolsk, Siberia, more than 2,500 kilometers away," adding, "This area is now within our strike range."
Overnight, Nizhnekamsk in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan also came under a Ukrainian drone attack, leaving 13 people dead, including children, and 75 injured.
Ukraine has recently expanded its strike range from civilian distribution networks to rear cities in Russia. The aim is to make Russians feel the direct impact of the war and pressure the Vladimir Putin government ahead of the September general election.
Zelenskyy said, "We have obtained internal Russian polling data, and there are already more people in Russia who want the war to end," adding, "Putin and Federal Security Service (FSB) officers must be made to understand equally that there is no alternative other than peace."