Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a warning regarding the growing military cooperation 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 receive another 30,000 North Korean troops, with preparations reportedly taking place in the Voronezh region since June. Additionally, North Korea is expected to supply Russia with more ballistic missile launchers.
President Zelensky highlighted that this cooperation allows North Korean forces to gain experience with modern warfare and weapons systems. Ukraine has previously reported instances of Russian forces using North Korean ballistic missiles, including a July strike near Kryvyi Rih, although this assessment was initially described as preliminary.
In a related development, Zelensky stated that Ukraine had detected Russian satellite surveillance of Gulf countries and US military facilities in the region since early July. He claimed that some of the imagery obtained was later shared with Iran and noted that satellite activity coincided with Iranian strikes before and after attacks.
Specifically, Russian satellites reportedly focused on four Middle Eastern air bases located in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait on July 19 and 20. Ukraine intends to share its intelligence on this alleged cooperation with its international partners.