Russia Begins Additional Mobilization, Expands North Korean Troop Presence

Russia has already begun additional mobilization and is preparing to extend the deployment of North Korean troops on its territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, Sept. 28.Citing new intelligence data from Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR), Zelensky said more than 8,000 North Korean military personnel are currently in Russia, with preparations underway to deploy an additional 10,000.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The longer-term plan envisions a contingent of up to 50,000, which Zelensky has been warning since at least August.“They increased the number of people who are recruited by different methods. They plan to increase and attract foreigners,” Zelensky said according to Ukrinform.According to the latest “I Want to Live” project – which helps Russian soldiers surrender – one in 10 Russian prisoners of war (POWs) held in Ukraine is a foreign citizen. At least 55 nationalities have been recorded.Mounting losses and autumn mobilization plansUkrainian authorities have warned repeatedly that Russia might be planning a major mobilization in autumn 2026 to replenish its ranks amid high battlefield losses.The mobilization was expected to happen after the Sept. 18-20 State Duma parliamentary elections – the first elections since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, in which there was no doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia would win.In July, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry estimated that Russia lost around 43,000 troops, while the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU) suggested in the same month that Russia recruited 1,070-1,090 troops per day on average, which fell short of the battlefield losses. Other Topics of Interest Vučić Resigns: What This Could Mean For Ukraine Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has officially stepped down from his post, saying that he will run for prime minister in the Oct. 25 vote. Western assessments suggested that Moscow has so far delayed a formal mobilization wave by relying on volunteers and covert recruitment.Meanwhile, the same way Russia continued downplaying the war in Ukraine – now in its fifth year – by calling it a “special military operation,” Moscow has sparked doubt in Ukrainian officials over its frequent denial of another round of mobilization.Ukraine’s military and foreign intelligence agencies said in July that the Russian General Staff had developed a plan to mobilize an additional 600,000 people – 300,000 during 2026 and another 300,000 in 2027.Several preparatory measures have been cited as signs of possible mobilization, including tighter military-registration controls, possible quotas for law-enforcement agencies, expanded prison recruitment, and additional penalties for ignoring electronic summonses.According to Le Monde on Sept. 3, Putin said that “there is no scenario that would require a mobilization,” while Deputy Security Council Chair Dmitry Medvedev later supported his claim.Deepening Russia-North Korea tiesNorth Korea has become one of Russia’s most critical wartime partners, supplying troops, weapons and manpower in exchange for financial and technological support.Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) estimated that North Korea supplies between 25% and 40% of Russia’s artillery shells, while the first reported use of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russia dates back to Dec. 29, 2023, when one missile landed in a field in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.Late July, Zelensky said that Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile in the strike that killed a family of 10 in the Kryvyi Rih district of Dnipropetrovsk region.Around the same time, he also said that Russia is preparing to receive 30,000 additional North Korean troops and more ballistic missile launchers.Therefore, the latest announcement does not come as a surprise, particularly because the two countries also signed a defense pact on June 19, 2024.North Korean troop deployments have officially been recognized by Moscow and Pyongyang in April 2025.During the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Zelensky revealed that two North Korean troops were captured by Ukrainian Defense Forces in Russia’s Kursk region before being handed over to South Korea.South Korean President Lee Jae-myung criticized Zelensky’s publicly revealing of the information. 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.