Zelensky warns Putin preparing new mobilization as Russian losses exceed recruitment

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns that Russia is preparing a new mobilization of 300,000-500,000 troops as its 2026 casualties (225,500) exceed recruitment (221,000). To fill the gap, Moscow is also seeking an additional 30,000 soldiers and more ballistic missile launchers from North Korea, deepening a military alliance that Zelensky says threatens regional security in Asia.

North Korean troop deployment

• ▪Preparations to receive the additional North Korean troops have been underway in Russia's Voronezh region since June 2026
• ▪An estimated 12,000 to 14,000 North Korean soldiers were previously deployed to Russia's Kursk region in 2024
• ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is seeking an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea

Russian-North Korean military alliance

• ▪North Korea has provided Russia with ammunition, missiles, and other military supplies since the 2022 full-scale invasion
• ▪Zelensky alleged that North Korea is also preparing to transfer additional ballistic missile launchers to Russia
• ▪Russia is helping North Korea gain combat experience and improve its weapons in exchange for military support

North Korean battlefield casualties

• ▪As many as 6,000 North Korean soldiers deployed in 2024 have died, according to a report citing South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence
• ▪South Korea's National Intelligence Service estimated North Korean casualties totaled roughly 4,700, including about 600 deaths

Regional security implications

• ▪In 2026, Russia has recruited 221,000 people but sustained 225,500 casualties, according to Zelensky
• ▪Zelensky stated the Russia-North Korea military cooperation is a threat to Asian countries within range of North Korean missiles
• ▪Russia missed its army recruitment target by approximately 30,000 people in the first quarter of 2026, according to Ukrainian intelligence
• ▪Zelensky warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to mobilize between 300,000 and 500,000 people in early October 2026
• ▪The 225,500 Russian casualties in 2026 include 131,000 killed and almost 93,000 wounded