Zelensky warns of Russian mobilization of up to 500,000 after September election, 30,000 more North Korean troops

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has again warned that Russia plans a mass mobilization of 300,000 to 500,000 troops following its September general election, and that North Korea intends to send an additional 30,000 soldiers to support Russian forces.

Zelensky made the remarks in an interview with Sky News on Monday, ahead of his visit to Britain for a first summit with Prime Minister Andy Burnham. "Putin has no intention of stopping this war," he said.

Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence had received reports that Russia was preparing a mobilization order for late September or early October, after elections to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. "He is afraid of public opinion and is not doing it openly," Zelensky said of Putin. He added that Russia would not have enough time to properly train the new recruits before sending them to the front, warning that "there will be many casualties."

Zelensky, who had previously said Russia was seeking to deploy an additional 30,000 North Korean troops along the front lines, repeated the claim in Monday's interview. "North Korea will send 30,000 soldiers to Russia," he said. "This will be a problem not only for us or Asia, but also for the United States and the West."

Earlier, on Saturday, Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that preparations to receive North Korean troops in Russia's Voronezh region had been under way since June, and that North Korea was also preparing to send additional ballistic missile launchers to Russia. The Kremlin on Monday declined to comment, saying it saw no need to respond.

Zelensky also said in the interview that Iran would send missiles to Russia, that China had begun cooperating with Moscow, and that the two countries were working together on satellites and technology.

Zelensky met Burnham aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth, southern England, on Tuesday. He was the first foreign leader Burnham received since the prime minister took office on July 20.

After the meeting, Burnham told reporters that he and Zelensky had discussed bolstering air defense support to help Ukraine shoot down Russian missiles and protect critical national energy infrastructure during the harsh winter months.

"We have identified a number of items and will hold follow-up discussions with our partners," Burnham added.

Britain also said it plans to share the intellectual property rights for Stone Cloak — an electronic warfare system capable of disrupting Russian air defenses and interfering with drone detection — with Ukraine, enabling the country to mass-produce the system.

Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, had been a strong advocate of support for Ukraine.

"President Zelensky is the first leader I am welcoming since taking office, and that is no accident," Burnham said Tuesday. "We want to send a clear message that we support Ukraine 100 percent and will fully honor every commitment made to Ukraine."