North Korea is supplying Russia not only with weapons but also with people, including those employed in Russian factories, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, urging Ukraine’s partners to increase their support.

And with reports of North Korean boots on the ground, in fact, Pyongyang has actually entered the war against Ukraine.

“In the coalition of criminals alongside Putin, North Korea is already involved, specifically the Kim family, which enslaves over 20 million people in North Korea,” Zelenskyy stated, addressing the Parliament in Kyiv on Wednesday.

“Our intelligence has observed not only the transfer of weapons from North Korea to Russia but also the transfer of individuals. These individuals are workers sent to Russian factories to replace those killed in the war, as well as personnel for the Russian army.”

And it’s not just Pyongyang, it’s also Tehran, according to Zelenskyy.

“Everyone sees its regime’s support for Putin,” he said.

Why would Russia need North Korean soldiers, and where?

Ukrainian outlet The Kyiv Independent, citing Western sources, reported that North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia to boost its war efforts against Ukraine.

Furthermore, the Russian 11th Airborne Brigade is forming a 3,000-person “battalion” staffed with North Korean citizens, according to Ukrainian outlets Suspilne and Liga, citing anonymous military intelligence sources.

Where could they be deployed?

Ukrainian intelligence sources assessed that this “battalion” will likely be involved in ongoing Russian defensive operations in the Kursk region.

Earlier, the Ukrainian partisan movement claimed that it had identified the presence of North Korean military personnel in training areas located close to Mariupol.

Euronews could not independently verify these claims.

The US-based ISW think tank says it has recently observed reports that a small contingent of North Korean personnel was operating near occupied Donetsk City.

The Kremlin is likely leveraging the Russia-North Korea comprehensive strategic partnership agreement made in June, in part to offset Russian force generation and border security requirements, according to the ISW.

This might help further cement Russian President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to avoiding mobilisation for as long as possible.

“Putin appears more willing to absorb North Korean personnel into the Russian military and resort to other irregular force generation efforts than to call for a wider mobilisation to actually address the combat situation,” ISW added.