Troops from Pyongyang are sustaining combat losses in Russia after being deployed to assist the Kremlin, Volodymyr Zelensky said. The Ukrainian president announced that Kyiv recently transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the Republic of Korea, noting that one prisoner attempted suicide to avoid capture because of regime indoctrination that demands soldiers die regardless of the circumstances.

Russia has launched more than 2,100 missiles and 63,000 attack drones against Ukraine since the start of 2026, including 950 ballistic missiles and 7,700 jet powered Shaheds. Zelensky stated that Russia is facing its largest budget deficit ever and that most regional governments are bankrupt, which led to the failure of Moscow's summer military operations. He warned that Kyiv would retaliate with painful strikes if Russia persists in targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure this winter, adding that Ukrainian drones now reach military factories in Siberia.