In the midst of the ongoing Iran War, it looks as though the Ukraine War is truly heating up.
One of the four major Ukrainian siege cities, Konstantinovka, is in trouble due to the ongoing Russian encirclement in Eastern Ukraine.
New HIMARS Attack Creative Commons Photo.
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 2-11 Long Range Fires Battalion, 25th Infantry Division Artillery, fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during a counter-landing live-fire exercise as part of Exercise Balikatan 2026 at La Paz Sand Dunes, Laoag City, Philippines, May 4, 2026. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military that represents the strength of our alliance, improves our capable combined force, and demonstrates our commitment to regional peace and prosperity. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Duke Edwards)
Ukraine has now shifted gears and begun a massive series of drone attacks on Russia itself, targeting soft targets like oil refineries, warehouses, and agricultural hubs as a method to weaken Russian resolve in the war.
All that has done, though, is force Russia to find new forms of escalation on its end.
The introduction of jet-powered drones by Russia has been one of those methods.
At the same time, the Russian Army continues its incredibly slow encirclement of the remaining Fortress Cities in Eastern Ukraine.
Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that the Russians have requested an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea.
No sources were given, and no verification of these claims could be made. Naturally, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has publicly commented on the plan.
North Korea Is Already In the Ukraine War
North Korea has already become one of Russia’s most important military partners during the war.
Both Western and Ukrainian assessments highlight the way in which Pyongyang deployed roughly 20,000 combat troops and military engineers to Russia’s Kursk region around 2024.
Those forces helped Russian troops push back Ukrainian operations in the border region after Kyiv launched its cross-border offensive.
Current estimates place the number of North Korean troops at around 14,000, which are deployed mostly near the frontlines.
Additional Weapons May Also Be Headed to Russia
Zelenskyy further accused Pyongyang of preparing to transfer more ballistic missile launchers to Russia. Per Zelenskyy’s observation, Russia is essentially helping to enhance North Korea’s war-making capacity while North Korean troops are gaining real experience in modern war.
All this can, of course, be used by Pyongyang in any potential conflict with South Korea.
And North Korea already appears to be going through both a major military modernization program as well as a massive buildup of forces.
Zelenskyy is keen on connecting the national security situation in Asia with what’s happening in Ukraine. It mirrors similar efforts by Kyiv to align the Ukraine War with the Iran War (which is partly why Ukraine struck an Iranian military cargo ship in the Caspian Sea).
Ukraine: The Testing Ground for Weapons
Clearly, Ukraine has become, to what looks like the impending world war, what Spain in the previous century was for the Second World War: a proving ground.
Western governments specifically highlight the way in which North Korea has benefited from its deepening involvement in the Ukraine War.
By supplying Russia with massive quantities of artillery shells, ballistic missiles, rockets, and other military equipment during the war, Pyongyang has earned the trust of Moscow.
The troops solidify that trust.
And that trust has not only led to battlefield victories for Russia but also to technological development victories for North Korea, which Russia has given advanced military tech in repayment for its commitment to the Ukraine War.
What’s more, the Ukraine War has provided North Korea with a real chance to hone its missile systems. North Korea’s missiles are the greatest threat posed to South Korea, Japan, and even the United States.
By fighting in the Ukraine War and using their ballistic missiles on behalf of Russia, the North Koreans learn invaluable lessons that will be applied to their part of the world.
In fact, Ukraine believes that Russia has dispatched military specialists to North Korea to assist with training and defense production.
Russian personnel have helped train North Korean forces in the use of combat drones and modern air-defense systems. Ukraine also says Russia is assisting North Korea in establishing domestic production of Russian versions of the Iranian-designed Shahed (known in Russian as the Geran) attack drone.
Of course, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has acknowledged this development.
Regional Security Concerns Abound
The expanding military relationship has drawn increasing attention from US military leaders stationed in Asia.
In fact, earlier this year, US Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, told The Japan Times that the Ukraine War is reshaping North Korea’s military in ways that extend well beyond drone warfare.
According to Brunson, Pyongyang is gaining valuable battlefield experience, developing an ability to project military force beyond the Korean Peninsula, and accelerating its weapons development cycle.
Expand on how North Korea’s deepening involvement in Ukraine could impact regional security, especially in Northeast Asia, to inform readers about possible future threats and strategic shifts.
So, if Zelenskyy’s latest assessment proves accurate, then North Korea’s direct military involvement in the Ukraine War would deepen further, reinforcing an alliance that increasingly links European security with developments in Northeast Asia.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is Senior National Security Editor. He also manages The Weichert Brief on Substack. Weichert also hosts “National Security Talk” on Rumble. He is the author of four bestselling national security books, the most recent of which is A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine (Encounter Books). Follow him via Twitter/X @WeTheBrandon.
