North Korea has rejected a claim by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Pyongyang planned to send as many as 50,000 additional troops to Russia, with Kim Yo-jong describing the estimate as “groundless” and accusing Kyiv of staging an incident.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a senior official in the ruling party, issued the denial on Wednesday in a statement published by state media KCNA. She said Zelensky’s claim had no basis and described it as “a self-staged incident”.
Zelensky made the allegation in a social media post this month, while also calling on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine’s air defences.
Kim Yo-jong rejected the Ukrainian president’s assessment and placed responsibility for both the outbreak and continuation of the Ukraine crisis entirely on the United States and the West.
North Korea has already provided direct military support to Russia during its war with Ukraine. The country sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia’s Kursk region in 2024 under a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty agreed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June that year.
North Korea has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.
The military relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow has become a significant part of their broader strategic partnership, with North Korean personnel participating in Russia’s war effort in the Kursk region.
A photograph released by KCNA showed Kim Jong-un welcoming soldiers who had returned to Pyongyang after an overseas deployment in Russia’s Kursk region during Moscow’s war with Ukraine in December 2025.
While rejecting Zelensky’s claim over a possible new deployment, Kim Yo-jong also criticised Washington’s approach to North Korea. She said the United States’ “hostile policy” towards Pyongyang had not changed despite US President Donald Trump’s order to substantially reduce US participation in joint military drills with South Korea.
Kim Yo-jong said that although the relationship between Trump and Kim Jong-un was “truly great”, Washington continued to conduct military exercises with Seoul and threaten North Korea’s national security.
She also said she was unaware of any recent communications between the leaders of the United States and North Korea.
The comments came after Trump said on Monday that he had received a response from Kim Jong-un following his decision to reduce the scale of US military drills with South Korea. Trump had also described North Korea as “unthreatening and respectful”.
The exchange reflects the competing narratives surrounding North Korea’s military relationship with Russia and its ties with the United States. While Pyongyang has acknowledged and supported its military cooperation with Moscow, it has rejected the latest Ukrainian assessment that it is preparing to send tens of thousands of additional troops.
For North Korea, the issue is also tied to its longstanding criticism of US military activity on the Korean peninsula. Kim Yo-jong’s statement linked the question of military exercises with Washington’s broader policy towards Pyongyang, despite the reduction in the scale of joint drills.
Zelensky’s allegation, meanwhile, underscores Ukraine’s continuing concern over North Korean military support for Russia. But Kim Yo-jong’s dismissal means that the claim of a planned deployment of up to 50,000 additional troops remains contested.
Pyongyang’s denial comes as its military cooperation with Moscow remains central to the statements of both sides, while North Korea continues to frame the Ukraine conflict through its opposition to the United States and the West.
