North Korean troop numbers could grow to as much as 100,000, says Zelensky

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said there is 11,000 North Korean troops who are stationed in Russia.

President Zelensky warned that North Korea could send a further 89,000 so there will be a total of 100,000 DPRK troops ready to fight for Vladimir Putin.

Western allies have said that North Korea are supplying Russia with ammunition, missiles and tanks to support Putin’s full-scale war in Ukraine.

Speaking in a virtual address to the European Parliament President Zelensky said, “Now, Putin has brought 11,000 North Korean troops to Ukraine’s borders.

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“This contingent may grow to 100,000.”

Last week Bloomberg reported that it is not inevitable North Korea could supply Russia with 100,000 troops.

Should this happen it is likely North Korean troops will be sent in batches for troop rotation instead of a lump of deployment.

President Zelensky confirmed earlier this month that North Korean soldiers engaged in fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast region “are already taking casualties.”

The Pentagon has confirmed the majority of North Korean troops have been deployed to the Kursk region and are taking part in combat against Ukrainian forces.