North Korea is reportedly considering expanding its troop deployment to Russia, with plans to increase the scale to up to 50,000 personnel by the end of November, Kyodo News reported on the 13th, citing data from Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR).

According to the data, North Korea and Russia are discussing plans to scale up the deployment to 50,000 troops by late November and station them in three western Russian regions bordering Ukraine.

This is seen as an intent to redeploy Russian forces previously stationed in those three western regions to the front lines, thereby capturing the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine within the year.

An official from Ukraine's intelligence agency stated that the plan is expected to receive final approval at the leadership level between North Korea and Russia.

This aligns with recent claims by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia wants an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea and is making preparations to deploy them near the border.

President Zelenskyy has repeatedly made such claims since stating on X (formerly Twitter) on July 25 (local time) that "Russia wants an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea, and preparations have been underway since June to accommodate them in Russia's Voronezh region."

In an interview with a local Ukrainian broadcaster, he also said, "Initially, we talked about hundreds, then it grew to thousands, and now a decision has been made to station 30,000 to 50,000 North Korean troops on Russian territory."

According to an investigation by Ukraine's intelligence directorate, the number of North Korean ground troops currently deployed in Russia is estimated at about 9,500.

In addition, North Korea recently reportedly dispatched 90 missile unit personnel to Russia's Voronezh region.

Furthermore, North Korea recently provided an additional 40 ballistic missiles to Russia, raising the possibility that these missiles were used in Russian attacks against Ukraine on June 30 and August 11.

It is estimated that North Korea has supplied approximately 150 missiles to Russia since August of last year.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)