Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Moscow has started adding foreign combatants to its ranks to support a goal of 300,000 new soldiers this year. More than 8,000 North Korean troops are already on Russian territory, and another 10,000 are currently being selected and trained for deployment. This additional mobilization drive uses multiple recruitment channels to increase the manpower available for the conflict.

In exchange for the military personnel, Russia has provided technical support to establish production of Shahed attack drones in North Korea. Zelenskyy said Ukraine will notify the governments of countries where Russia is recruiting citizens to encourage them to block these efforts. The transfer of drone technology and deployment of foreign troops expands the security risks associated with the war beyond the immediate region.