Zelensky said in his evening address that the selection of service members for training and subsequent transfer to Russia is already under way, citing a report from the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry.

He said Russian authorities plan to increase the number of foreign mercenaries fighting against Ukraine and called on the governments of countries from which Russia recruits soldiers to oppose it.

South Korean intelligence estimates that North Korea has already sent about 15,000 service members to support Russia, according to Deutsche Welle. Pyongyang is believed to receive money, military technology and security guarantees from Moscow in return. In August, Zelensky said North Korea intended to deploy between 30,000 and 50,000 fighters on Russian territory.

Zelensky also said Russia "pays for everything," including with technology, and that production of Shahed-type drones has been set up in North Korea in exchange for its assistance.

North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia became known in October 2024, and the Kremlin confirmed it in April 2025. The Yonhap news agency, citing South Korean intelligence, reported that about 6,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in fighting along the Russia-Ukraine border. The BBC established the names of 2,304 North Korean service members killed at the front.

According to the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), which tracks compliance with UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea, up to 25,000 North Korean citizens may be employed at Russian drone production facilities. To circumvent UN Security Council restrictions on the use of North Korean labor abroad, they are registered on student visas. Most of the workers are in the Far East — in Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and on Sakhalin — but some work in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Irkutsk. Up to 1,000 people are employed at defense enterprises, steel mills and shipyards.

Zelensky's statement came amid a conflict between Kyiv and Seoul that flared up several days earlier. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung sharply criticized the Ukrainian authorities, saying Zelensky had violated an agreement on confidentiality by publicly announcing the transfer to Seoul of two North Korean soldiers captured during fighting by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.

Zelensky's office said no agreement existed between the countries to keep the information confidential. Seoul called that a lie. South Korea's Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador, and a deputy foreign minister conveyed "Seoul's firm position" on the matter to the Ukrainian diplomat, Yonhap reported.