Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has raised alarms over Russia’s increasing military collaboration with North Korea and Iran, according to intelligence assessments from Ukraine. Zelensky claims that Russia is in the process of receiving an additional 30,000 North Korean troops, with preparations reportedly beginning in the Voronezh region in June. Furthermore, he stated that North Korea is set to supply Russia with more ballistic missile launchers.
The collaboration between Russia and North Korea is reportedly offering North Korean forces exposure to modern warfare techniques and weaponry. Ukraine has previously noted the use of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russian forces, citing a preliminary assessment from a July strike near Kryvyi Rih.
In addition to these developments, Zelensky has pointed to Russian satellite activities that involve surveillance of Gulf countries and U.S. military installations in the region since early July. He alleges that some of the imagery collected from these satellites has been transferred to Iran. This satellite activity reportedly coincided with Iranian strikes in the area, both before and after the attacks.
Zelensky highlighted that on July 19 and 20, Russian satellites concentrated on four air bases in the Middle East, located in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. Ukraine intends to inform its international partners about these developments and share the gathered intelligence on the alleged military cooperation between Russia and these nations.