There are currently more than eight thousand North Korean soldiers in Russia, and the deployment of another ten thousand is being prepared. That is according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, citing "new data" on the presence of Pyongyang's troops on Russian territory. According to him, "the selection of soldiers for training and dispatch to Russia" is under way.

The numbers are rising faster than the diplomatic statements. In August, Zelensky warned that Pyongyang could send up to 50,000 troops to Russia and urged South Korea to support Ukraine's air defence. Since 2024, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates, North Korea has sent between 14,000 and 15,000 soldiers to fight on Russia's side, most of them deployed in the Kursk region.

The people are only part of the shipment. According to Ukrainian and other estimates, Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with millions of artillery and mortar shells, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery systems and multiple rocket launchers. Official Seoul, by contrast, announced a 100-million-dollar aid package for Ukraine in July - but with no lethal weapons.

Zelensky announced the new figures amid tension between Kyiv and Seoul over North Korean prisoners of war. South Korean authorities demanded an explanation and an apology after Zelensky publicly revealed that two captured North Korean soldiers had been transferred to South Korea. Seoul says this breached a confidentiality agreement, while the Ukrainian side disputes that any such agreement ever existed.

The picture is almost paradoxical. Two soldiers have become the cause of a diplomatic row, while thousands of new ones are being picked for a front far from home. The Balkans know the logic well when big players fight with other people's hands. The question is whether anyone will even count those ten thousand once they leave - or whether they will remain just another number in someone's speech.