New Ukrainian Intelligence Reveals Russia Expanding Military Ties With North Korea, Iran

President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a stark warning to the international community, detailing expanding networks of military cooperation between Russia, North Korea, and Iran. In his evening address, Zelensky disclosed intelligence revealing that Moscow is actively preparing to absorb an influx of North Korean forces and is leveraging space assets to aid Iranian-backed regional strikes. North Korean Troops Heading to Voronezh According to the Ukrainian president, Russia is seeking to integrate an additional 30,000 North Korean troops into its war effort.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Kyiv’s intelligence indicates that infrastructure preparations to receive these personnel have been underway in Russia’s Voronezh region since June. Beyond manpower, Pyongyang is reportedly preparing to ship additional ballistic missile launchers to Russian forces. Zelensky emphasized that this alliance goes far beyond the immediate war in Ukraine. “Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them,” Zelensky stated, noting that the partnership poses a security crisis for nations across Asia that sit within range of North Korean missile systems. North Korea has already sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia since 2024, primarily deploying them to Russia’s Kursk region, according to Ukrainian and South Korean assessments. Pyongyang has also supplied Moscow with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems. Other Topics of Interest Russia to Begin Additional Mobilization, Expand North Korean Troop Presence President Zelensky cited new intelligence on Russian recruitment and foreign troop deployments, as Kyiv warns of autumn mobilization and growing Pyongyang-Moscow military cooperation. ‘Russia Is Helping Them Learn How to Wage War’ Zelensky warned that Russia is effectively providing North Korea with something difficult to acquire anywhere else: direct experience of modern large-scale warfare. “Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them,” the Ukrainian president warned. “All of this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within range of North Korean missiles.” Ukraine, Zelensky pledged, “will counter this.” The battlefield cooperation has already involved North Korean weapons. Five days after the July warning, Zelensky announced that preliminary Ukrainian findings indicated Russia had used a North Korean ballistic missile in a strike on Radushne near Kryvyi Rih. A ballistic missile struck an ordinary family home there, killing children and their parents, according to the Ukrainian president. “The alliance between the Moscow scumbags and the deranged regime in North Korea exists for the sake of missiles, North Korean troops on our borders here in Europe, and killing our Ukrainian children,” Zelensky noted in his July 30 address. Satellite Intelligence Funneled to Iran The Ukrainian president also announced that he has instructed domestic intelligence agencies to share actionable data with international partners regarding Russia’s growing support for the Iranian regime. Kyiv has recorded active Russian satellite surveillance tracking Gulf states and US military facilities in the region since early July. This intelligence has funneled to Tehran. “Since the beginning of July, we have recorded active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and U.S. military facilities located there,” Zelensky disclosed. “These images subsequently appear in Iran.” Zelensky highlighted a correlation between Russian satellite passes and subsequent Iranian strikes – noting the imagery is utilized for pre-attack planning as well as post-strike battle damage assessments. As a specific example, Zelensky revealed that between July 19 and July 20 alone, Russian intelligence satellites focused heavily on four key air bases in the Middle East: two in Bahrain, one in Jordan, and one in Kuwait. “The purpose is clear,” Zelensky remarked. “None of us in the world should turn a blind eye to one very simple fact: evil always seeks ways to make things worse and spread further.” Zelensky presented Russia’s expanding relationships with Pyongyang and Tehran as evidence that the consequences of Moscow’s war against Ukraine are spreading well beyond Europe. “Russia must be stopped. This war must be stopped. Pressure on the aggressor must work.” “When we are able to produce PAC-3 missiles in Ukraine, we will help those in the world who need protection with these missiles as well,” the president pledged. Zelensky closed his warning by broadening responsibility beyond Moscow itself. “Everyone who is helping Russia prolong this war right now must also be held accountable for all the global consequences of this war,” he concluded. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.