Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of effectively beginning an additional mobilisation drive while simultaneously expanding its recruitment of foreign fighters, as Kyiv says military cooperation between Moscow and North Korea is deepening.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence indicates more than 8,000 North Korean troops are currently on Russian territory, while preparations are underway for another 10,000 personnel to undergo training before being deployed to Russia. The figures are Ukrainian assessments and have not been independently confirmed.
His comments came on a day of further Russian attacks across Ukraine, including a strike on the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv that killed at least one person.
Zelenskyy Claims Russia Has Begun ‘Additional Mobilization’
Zelenskyy said Russia was increasing the number of people entering its armed forces through several recruitment mechanisms.
“In effect, the Russians have already begun additional mobilization,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Rather than describing only a conventional mobilisation order, Zelenskyy said Moscow was expanding the overall number of recruits entering its military through different channels.
His statement coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin increasing the authorised strength of Russia’s armed forces by another 15,500 active-duty personnel.
Ukraine Warns Russia Is Seeking More Foreign Recruits
Zelenskyy also claimed Moscow intends to increase recruitment outside Russia.
He urged governments whose citizens are being recruited into Russian forces to intervene and said Kyiv would provide relevant countries with information about the activity.
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of drawing foreign nationals into its military as Russia attempts to sustain manpower for its war.
Zelenskyy said international governments must take responsibility for preventing their nationals from being drawn into Russia’s forces.
More Than 8,000 North Korean Troops Reportedly in Russia
North Korea featured prominently in Zelenskyy’s latest assessment.
The Ukrainian president said intelligence available to Kyiv indicates that more than 8,000 North Korean military personnel are currently inside Russia.
He further claimed another 10,000 North Koreans are being selected for training and eventual deployment.
Independent confirmation of those current troop numbers was not immediately available. Zelenskyy has previously made larger estimates concerning North Korean personnel sent to Russia over the course of the war, illustrating the difficulty of establishing precise deployment numbers publicly.
Zelenskyy Says Another 10,000 Troops Are Being Prepared
According to Zelenskyy, the additional North Korean contingent has not yet completed the process required for deployment.
He said personnel are being selected before receiving training and subsequently being sent to Russia.
The claim suggests Kyiv believes military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is continuing to expand rather than winding down.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly warned that North Korea’s participation could have security consequences extending far beyond Ukraine.
Ukraine Claims Russia Helped North Korea Produce Shahed-Type Drones
The Ukrainian president also alleged that Russia is providing North Korea with military technology in return for Pyongyang’s assistance.
Zelenskyy specifically claimed that production of Shahed-type attack drones has now been established in North Korea with Russian technical support.
The Ukrainian leader portrayed the development as evidence that military cooperation created by the war could spread advanced weapons capabilities to other regions.
“This is how evil encroaches, and how a threat to life in one part of the world spreads to other parts,” Zelenskyy said.
He argued that confronting such cooperation would require coordinated international action.
Deadly Strike Hits National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv
Zelenskyy’s warnings about Russian manpower and North Korean cooperation came as emergency crews responded to another series of strikes across Ukraine.
A Russian drone hit a building belonging to Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv on Monday.
At least one person was killed in the strike and six were injured, according to Zelenskyy’s initial account, including three children. Emergency personnel continued searching and clearing the damaged building.
Later figures showed the broader wave of attacks across Kyiv injured substantially more people than those hurt specifically at the academy building.
Fire Engulfs Academy Building as Rescue Operation Begins
Images and video from central Kyiv showed flames and heavy smoke rising from the damaged National Academy of Sciences building as firefighters worked at the scene.
Emergency crews rescued people from inside the building and later extinguished the fire before beginning the removal of damaged structures.
The academy’s president, Anatoliy Zagorodny, said staff members had been inside when the building was struck and stressed that the institution was not a military facility.
Medical Facility Also Hit in Central Kyiv
The Academy of Sciences was not the only Kyiv location damaged during Monday’s attacks.
A medical facility in central Kyiv was also struck, with emergency crews responding to a fire at the site. Reports identified the affected facility as a Dobrobut medical centre.
A pharmaceutical company and petrol stations were also among locations hit in the capital, according to Zelenskyy.
Kyiv authorities subsequently reported at least 19 people injured across the capital during the day’s attacks, while later reporting put the number at 24.
Dnipro and Other Ukrainian Regions Also Targeted
The attacks extended beyond Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said a business centre in Dnipro was struck, while civilian facilities, businesses and communications infrastructure were targeted elsewhere.
Separate reporting said three people were killed and 12 injured in a drone attack on Dnipro, where a fire broke out at an administrative building.
Zaporizhzhia was also hit, with more than a dozen railway workers reported injured in a Russian strike on an operating railway facility.
Zelenskyy Demands Greater International Pressure on Moscow
Following the attacks, Zelenskyy renewed his call for Ukraine’s international partners to increase economic and political pressure on Russia.
He argued that sanctions should target the industries and financial structures involved in producing and financing Russian weapons.
Zelenskyy said the continued strikes demonstrated why Ukraine needs sustained support from Europe, the United States and other international partners.
The Ukrainian president characterised the attacks as terrorism and warned that failure to respond forcefully would encourage further violence.
Kyiv Links Battlefield War to Growing Global Security Threat
Zelenskyy sought to connect Monday’s attacks with his broader warning about Russia’s military recruitment and relationship with North Korea.
From Kyiv’s perspective, the danger is no longer limited to additional Russian manpower on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Ukraine argues that the exchange of personnel, weapons knowledge and production technology between Moscow and Pyongyang could strengthen North Korea’s military capabilities and create consequences elsewhere.
“This can only be overcome together,” Zelenskyy said.
His latest appeal therefore combined two messages: Ukraine wants stronger protection against the continuing Russian strikes at home, while also urging other governments to view Russia’s recruitment efforts and military cooperation with North Korea as a wider international security concern.
