This image grab from a video filmed on December 23, 2025 and provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Office shows Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky addressing in Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelensky said on December 24, 2025 the latest version of a plan to end the Russian invasion would freeze the front line, but still pave the way for Ukrainian withdrawals and the creation of demilitarised zones. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / – / HANDOUT /UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE ” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia has sought an extra 30,000 troops and missile launchers from North Korea to fight his country.
Preparations for the extra troops are being made in Russia’s Voronezh region near the frontier with Ukraine, Zelensky said in a social media post late Saturday.
North Korea sent thousands of troops to help Russia fight off a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kursk region in 2024. It has also provided arms to help Russia’s invasion since 2022.
According to South Korea, some 2,000 North Korean troops have been killed in the war.
