Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has raised concerns about expanding military cooperation between Russia and both North Korea and Iran, citing Ukrainian intelligence assessments. Zelensky claims that Russia is in the process of integrating an additional 30,000 North Korean troops, with logistical arrangements reportedly ongoing in the Voronezh region since June. Furthermore, North Korea is allegedly set to supply Russia with more ballistic missile launchers.
This burgeoning cooperation is providing North Korean forces with exposure to modern warfare tactics and weapons systems, according to Zelensky. Ukraine had previously identified the use of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russian forces, noting a specific incident in July near Kryvyi Rih, although this was initially described as a preliminary assessment.
In addition to the developments with North Korea, Zelensky has warned about Russian satellite intelligence activities in the Middle East. Since early July, Russia has reportedly been conducting satellite surveillance of Gulf countries and U.S. military installations in the region. Zelensky claims that some of the satellite images obtained were shared with Iran and that there was a correlation between the satellite activity and subsequent Iranian military strikes.
Specifically, Russian satellites reportedly focused on four air bases in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait during July 19 and 20. Ukraine intends to share these intelligence findings with international partners to highlight the alleged cooperation between these nations.