Mr Zelenskyy took to social media to announced that "a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia", while calling on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine's air defence.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia plans to involve a further 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to carry out tasks on its territory.

North Korea previously sent troops and munitions to support Russia’s war effort against Ukraine