Russia Plans Mass Mobilization After September Elections, Zelensky Warns — With Up to 50,000 North Korean Troops

Evidence of Planned Russian Mobilization

• Internal Russian documents obtained by HUR confirm that the Kremlin plans to launch a mass mobilization campaign this autumn, immediately after the September parliamentary elections, which Zelensky described as a "simulation" or "imitation" of elections .
• Scale: Zelensky stated that Russia intends to recruit "several hundred thousand" new soldiers into the military this year alone, with the same number again planned for 2027 .
• Political cover: According to Zelensky, Putin's plan is to use the staged elections to create a facade of public support for the war — all pro-war parties are expected to win, providing the Kremlin with a political pretext to announce mobilization .
• The warning came after a briefing by HUR head Oleh Ivashchenko, whose assessment directly attributes the intelligence to internal Russian planning documents .

Connection to North Korean Weapons and Troops

• Up to 50,000 North Korean troops: On August 9, Zelensky stated that a decision has been made to deploy 30,000 to 50,000 North Korean soldiers on Russian territory to fight alongside Russian forces. He noted the figure has escalated from "hundreds" to "thousands" to this range .
• North Korean missile unit deployed: On August 5, Ukrainian intelligence reported that a North Korean missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia, potentially equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine .
• Existing Pyongyang deployments: Under a mutual defense pact, North Korea had already sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia since 2024, plus ongoing shipments of artillery shells and missiles .
• Combined escalation logic: The mobilization of hundreds of thousands of new Russian conscripts, coupled with the ramp-up of North Korean troop deployments to 50,000 and the supply of North Korean ballistic missile systems, forms a layered plan to overwhelm Ukraine's defenses through sheer mass and multi-axis pressure — rather than seeking a negotiated settlement .

Escalatory Actions on the Ground

• Ballistic missile strike on Zaporizhzhia (August 10-11): Russia launched a combined attack using ballistic missiles and guided aerial bombs on Zaporizhzhia overnight. The strike killed at least 5–7 people, wounded 20–24 others, and caused fires and power outages. The attack struck industrial facilities and a children's hospital .
• Zaporizhstal steel plant halted: The Zaporizhzhia Steel Works (Zaporizhstal), one of Ukraine's leading metallurgical plants, was completely shut down after the ballistic missile strike killed 7 employees and injured 21 S.
• Broader barrage: Overnight Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 9 people and wounded dozens, with Kyiv also reporting ballistic missile strikes. Officials noted that Russia has received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea and is using them to try to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses S.
• Kyiv children's hospital hit: Among the targets was a children's hospital in Kyiv, struck during the same wave of long-range missile attacks .

Together, the internal documents on mobilization, the accelerating deployment of North Korean troops and missile systems, and the intensifying ballistic missile strikes on civilian and industrial infrastructure all indicate that Moscow is preparing for a significant escalation of hostilities rather than pursuing de-escalation or peace negotiations.