Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has raised alarms about deepening military ties between Russia and North Korea, as well as Russia’s provision of satellite intelligence to Iran. According to Ukrainian intelligence assessments, Russia is preparing to bolster its forces with an additional 30,000 North Korean troops, with preparations reportedly underway in the Voronezh region since June. North Korea is also said to be readying more ballistic missile launchers for Russia.
Zelensky highlighted that this cooperation is allowing North Korean forces to gain experience with modern warfare and weapons systems. Ukraine has previously reported incidents of Russian forces deploying North Korean ballistic missiles, including a notable strike near Kryvyi Rih in July, although these findings were initially described as preliminary.
Furthermore, Zelensky pointed to Russian satellite surveillance activities in the Gulf region and around US military facilities since early July. He claimed that the imagery obtained from these satellites was shared with Iran, with satellite activity timing coinciding with Iranian military strikes, both before and after these events. Specific focus was placed on four Middle Eastern air bases located in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait on July 19 and 20.
Ukraine intends to share its intelligence on these developments with international partners, aiming to shed light on the alleged cooperation between Russia, North Korea, and Iran. The expanding military ties and intelligence-sharing activities have raised significant concerns about regional and global security dynamics.