Putin expands Russia army; Zelenskyy warns of more North Korean troops

Key Points:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an increase in the size of Russia's armed forces, raising active servicemen by 15,500 to a total of 1,550,500, as part of the fourth such order this year.
• The presidential decree comes more than four-and-a-half years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with no official reason given for the troop increase amid ongoing heavy losses on both sides.
• Analysts had anticipated some form of mobilization following Russia's recent State Duma elections, which resulted in a predictable landslide victory for the ruling United Russia party.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Russia has initiated a new wave of military mobilization involving over 8,000 North Korean troops on Russian soil, with plans to deploy an additional 10,000.
• Zelenskyy also stated that Russia is assisting North Korea in producing Shahed-type attack drones, highlighting military cooperation between the two countries, which Putin acknowledged last year during a meeting with Kim Jong Un.