ZELENSKY WARNS OF 30,000 TO 50,000 NORTH KOREAN TROOPS FOR RUSSIA

Volodymyr Zelensky stated that North Korea is preparing to send between 30,000 and 50,000 troops for deployment in Russia. The Ukrainian president told United News on Saturday that the scale of the deployment had grown from hundreds, then thousands, to the current planned figure. Zelensky claimed Pyongyang intended to study lessons from the war in Ukraine and could present a threat to other states in Asia, and he urged closer cooperation between Kyiv and South Korea.

The statement came as US intelligence officials told the Wall Street Journal that Vladimir Putin could order an attack on a NATO member within weeks to test the alliance's resolve. According to those reports, the potential attack could take the form of a small land incursion or cyber attacks across eastern Europe sometime between autumn and 2029, with the likelihood of a cross-border incursion increasing over time. Separately, overnight Russian attacks near Kyiv killed at least three people, including a child, with another three injured as ballistic missiles struck east of the capital, according to a local official.

Ukraine has reported running low on Western-donated interceptor missiles needed for air defence. On Saturday, Zelensky issued a fresh call for additional US-made Patriot interceptor missiles, stating that current supplies were insufficient. He noted that Ukraine lacked the financial resources Russia possessed and that additional funding specifically for Ukrainian production was needed, though European allies and other countries had provided support.