Zelenskyy Warns of New Russian Mobilization and 10,000 North Korean Troop Deployment
by RFE/RL · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinThe death toll from Russia’s jet-powered drone attacks mounted in Ukraine while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the Kremlin is preparing for a new troop mobilization at home and a fresh deployment of 10,000 North Korean soldiers.
At least two people were killed when a drone hit the National Academy of Sciences building in central Kyiv amid some of the most relentless aerial strikes on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022.
Zelenskyy said at least nine people had been killed and more than 80 injured in Russian drone strikes throughout the country on September 28.
After Zelenskyy spoke, journalists in the Ukrainian capital reported explosions in the city during a missile alert early on September 29. Details were not immediately available.
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In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was struggling to counter the high-flying Russian jet-powered drones, with the interception rate of just below 60 percent. He said 90 of the 120 drones fired on Ukraine were jet-powered, as opposed to propeller-driven.
“New interceptors are being actively tested," he said in his address.
"Some combat groups are using them, but, of course, some details still need to be refined to achieve enough effectiveness and scale. We are speeding up the developers.”
Zelenskyy also cited a report from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, HUR, that he said showed that Russia had launched a new wave of mobilization for its military.
"They are increasing the number of people they recruit through various methods," he said. "It is important that the governments of countries from which Russia recruits people for its army take action against this."
Preparations Under Way, Zelenskyy Says
Zelenskyy said some 8,000 North Korean troops, brought in by the Kremlin in 2024 to counter a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, remained in the country and that preparations were under way for the deployment of a further 10,000 soldiers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected reports of a new mobilization as "utter nonsense," although he did on September 28 sign a decree increasing the size of the army by 15,500 troops -- the fourth such order this year.
"The authorized personnel strength of the Russian armed forces is to be set at 2,441,630 units, including 1,550,500 military personnel," the decree said, giving no reason for the addition.
Russia has suffered massive losses to soldiers, weapons, and military hardware since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a venture the Kremlin reportedly believed would take only a few weeks to end in victory.
Putin last ordered a mobilization of reservists in 2022, and another such move would likely prove highly unpopular with the Russian population.
Difficult Reforms
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskiy warned that the public finances situation “remains difficult,” saying the slow pace of reforms has caused Western partners to hold up financial commitment.
“Part of the planned international funding has not yet arrived. In particular, due to the fact that Ukraine has not had time to fulfill some of the obligations it has undertaken to international partners,” without providing details.
Koretskiy has urged Ukrainian lawmakers to pass difficult reforms, including taxation of postal packages from abroad and a comprehensive overhaul of the taxation system.
Zelenskyy said he had held meetings on September 28 with Koretskiy and other officials to discuss “our key priorities in working with partners over the coming weeks in response to this situation. “
“The government, for its part, is doing everything necessary to fulfill its commitments and receive planned international funding. We are working together with the parliament. And here, responsible work from deputies of all factions and groups is important,” he added, although he did not cite specifics.
Zelenskyy Warns of New Russian Mobilization and 10,000 North Korean Troop Deployment
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