CNN: Kim to send 30,000 troops to aid Kremlin in war against Ukraine

North Korea will triple the number of its servicemen in the Russian army by sending another 25-30 thousand soldiers to fight against Ukraine. According to CNN, citing Ukrainian intelligence assessments, the soldiers could arrive in Russia in the coming months, in addition to the 11,000 sent in November 2024 to help the Russians repel Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region.

According to Western officials, about 4,000 of these North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded during the deployment, but Pyongyang's cooperation with Moscow has flourished since then.

The Ukrainian assessment states that the Russian Defense Ministry is able to provide “the necessary equipment, weapons and ammunition“ for “further integration into Russian combat units“. The publication added that "there is a high probability that North Korean soldiers will reinforce Russian troops during a new offensive.

Earlier, the American media reported that satellite images had spotted preparations for the new deployment, including the arrival of a ship in a Russian port and cargo planes at the North Korean Sunan airport.

A satellite image taken on May 18, 2025, shows a ship already carrying soldiers from the DPRK, docked at the port of "Danube" (Danube) in Russia.

The Open Source Data Analysis Center MAXAR provided CNN with satellite images of North Korea's Sunan Airport on June 4, showing cargo planes, likely Il-76s, taxiing along the runway - the same type of aircraft used in last year's deployments.

"While the images do not indicate what the ships and planes are being used for, their movement may show a pattern consistent with what analysts have observed last year," the American publication wrote.

"This seems to indicate that the routes previously used to move North Korean troops are active and could be used for any future large-scale personnel movements," said Joe Byrne, a senior analyst at the Open Source Center.