Putin Orders Army Expansion as Zelensky Says 10,000 North Korean Troops Are Being Prepared for Deployment

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an increase in the size of the army, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken of preparations to deploy 10,000 North Korean soldiers.

The developments came amid continued fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Ukraine’s military reported 213 clashes on Monday.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces published the figure in a Facebook update the following morning. The summary did not provide a breakdown of where the clashes occurred.

Zelensky’s remarks concerned preparations for a deployment, rather than confirmation that the North Korean troops had entered combat. No deployment timetable was provided.

The information available also did not specify the scale of the army expansion ordered by Putin or when the increase would take effect.