Military Watch Magazine.com – Aug 9, 2026Russia is reportedly preparing to receive between 30,000 and 50,000 additional North Korean military personnel, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, potentially representing a dramatic expansion of Pyongyang’s military involvement in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War. Should they be deployed for combat operations, the reported far higher training standard of North Korean personnel relative to their Russian counterparts, is expected to make them significantly more potent and effective. Beyond military personnel, reports emerged in 2025 that 5,000 North Korean industrial workers were being dispatched to help increase output at the Alabuga Factory where Russia produces Geran-2 drones. President Zelensky previously reported in late July that North Korea was preparing to send as many as 30,000 additional personnel to Russia, and g to supply additional ballistic missile launchers. North Korea was by the end of 2024 estimated to have dispatched over 6 million artillery rounds to Russia.