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Zelensky Says Russia Seeks 30,000 extra N.Korea Troops for Ukraine War

People react after a Russian drone attack hit a private house in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
People react after a Russian drone attack hit a private house in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
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Zelensky Says Russia Seeks 30,000 extra N.Korea Troops for Ukraine War

People react after a Russian drone attack hit a private house in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
People react after a Russian drone attack hit a private house in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia has sought an extra 30,000 troops and missile launchers from North Korea to fight his country.

Preparations for the extra troops are being made in Russia's Voronezh region near the frontier with Ukraine, Zelensky said in a social media post late Saturday.

North Korea sent thousands of troops to help Russia fight off a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kursk region in 2024. It has also provided arms to help Russia's invasion since 2022.

According to South Korea, some 2,000 North Korean troops have been killed in the war.

"Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea. Since June, preparations have been underway in Russia's Voronezh region to receive them," Zelensky said on X.

"North Korea is also preparing to transfer additional launchers for ballistic missiles to Russia. This is a threat not only to Ukraine. Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them," he added.

"All of this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within range of North Korean missiles."

The two countries signed a military assistance treaty in 2024 and North Korea reaffirmed its support for Russia's war on Ukraine during a visit to Moscow this week by its foreign minister Choe Son Hui.

Pyongyang "expressed invariable support for all the internal and external policies of the Russian Federation to eliminate the root cause of the Ukrainian dispute and defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international justice", the North's KCNA state news agency said after the talks.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin expressed "gratitude" for North Korea's support in a video released ahead of Choe's visit.

In return for its military aid, North Korea has received cash, military technology and food and energy commodities to help it overcome international sanctions over its nuclear program.

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World

Russia Summons Japan Ambassador Over Disputed Islands Row

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin interacts with local residents on Iturup island, one of four islands in the contested chain known as the Kuril Islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, on August 13, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov / Pool / AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin interacts with local residents on Iturup island, one of four islands in the contested chain known as the Kuril Islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, on August 13, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov / Pool / AFP)
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Russia Summons Japan Ambassador Over Disputed Islands Row

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin interacts with local residents on Iturup island, one of four islands in the contested chain known as the Kuril Islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, on August 13, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov / Pool / AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin interacts with local residents on Iturup island, one of four islands in the contested chain known as the Kuril Islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, on August 13, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov / Pool / AFP)

Japan's ambassador to Moscow was expected Tuesday to respond to Russia's summons over a row about disputed islands visited by President Vladimir Putin for the first time last week.

Bilateral relations have long been dogged by the Kuril islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized in 1945 by the Soviet Union which then expelled the Japanese population.

Putin, 73, visited the territories last Thursday, prompting Japan to summon Russia's ambassador in protest.

It was the first trip there by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, who served as head of state from 2008-12 while Putin was prime minister.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the islands "are an inherent part of Japan's territory, both historically and under international law."

Moscow said Monday it had summoned the Japanese envoy, Akira Muto, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying that Tokyo had "crossed the line of decency".

Muto did not immediately accede to the summons however.

"We were told either that he was not in Moscow or that he was unwell. We did not quite understand the situation," Lavrov said.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova later told state news agency TASS that after Lavrov's comments the ambassador had "suddenly started feeling better" and would attend on Tuesday.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that Muto did not initially respond out of concern that Russia would unilaterally dominate the discussions, making a balanced exchange difficult.

However, Tokyo decided to reply to the summons after internal deliberations, NHK said citing unnamed sources.

Ties between Japan and Russia have worsened since the full-scale conflict in Ukraine began in 2022.

Japan has joined other G7 countries in sanctioning Russia and giving money and non-lethal defense aid to Kyiv, which like Washington recognizes Japanese sovereignty over the disputed islands.

Japan indirectly supports Ukraine's air defense by exporting domestically produced Patriot interceptor missiles to the United States, helping replenish US stockpiles that have been reduced by military aid to Kyiv.

Analysts said that Putin's visit to the Kurils could have been aimed at warning Japan off deepening support to Ukraine, potentially by supplying Patriot missiles directly, and cooperation with NATO.

While Japan has eased restrictions on defense exports in recent years, it remains unable to supply lethal military equipment directly to a country at war, including Ukraine.

World

Russia Downs 180 Drones in Moscow Region Overnight

Pedestrians walk past a destroyed DIY and construction materials mall "Galaktika" following an overnight attack, which local Russian-installed officials called Ukrainian drone strikes, in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on August 16, 2026, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (Photo by AFP)
Pedestrians walk past a destroyed DIY and construction materials mall "Galaktika" following an overnight attack, which local Russian-installed officials called Ukrainian drone strikes, in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on August 16, 2026, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (Photo by AFP)
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Russia Downs 180 Drones in Moscow Region Overnight

Pedestrians walk past a destroyed DIY and construction materials mall "Galaktika" following an overnight attack, which local Russian-installed officials called Ukrainian drone strikes, in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on August 16, 2026, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (Photo by AFP)
Pedestrians walk past a destroyed DIY and construction materials mall "Galaktika" following an overnight attack, which local Russian-installed officials called Ukrainian drone strikes, in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on August 16, 2026, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (Photo by AFP)

Russia downed 180 drones in the Moscow region overnight, the capital's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on the Telegram messaging app early on Tuesday, in one of the biggest Ukrainian air ‌attacks on ‌the Russian capital.

Drones ‌hit ⁠a warehouse of ⁠Russian e-commerce company Wildberries and other facilities near Moscow, regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said separately, adding that at least three ⁠people, including a 10-year-old ‌girl, were ‌injured in the region, reported Reuters.

Wildberries, a ‌frequent target of ‌Kyiv's attacks following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, said in a statement that the ‌warehouse experienced minor damage after drone debris hit ⁠one ⁠of its walls.

Overall, 620 drones were heading for the region surrounding the Russian capital between Monday evening and 5 a.m. (0200 GMT), according to Sobyanin, and Moscow was temporarily restricting flights at its airports.

World

UKMTO: Vessel Struck by Unknown Projectile in Strait of Hormuz, Crew Casualty Reported

Archive photo of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz (AFP)
Archive photo of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz (AFP)
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UKMTO: Vessel Struck by Unknown Projectile in Strait of Hormuz, Crew Casualty Reported

Archive photo of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz (AFP)
Archive photo of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz (AFP)

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received a report on Tuesday that a vessel was struck ‌by an ‌unknown projectile ‌while ⁠transiting outbound in the ⁠Strait of Hormuz, causing engine room damage and a crew casualty, with the ⁠remaining crew being ‌assisted ‌by the Omani Coast ‌Guard, Reuters said.

No environmental impact ‌has been reported and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said.

The incident ‌comes as shipping through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz remains ⁠severely disrupted, with vessel crossings still in the single digits, down from more than 130 a day before the war.