Russia is preparing to receive 30,000 more North Korean troops to help fight its war against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in an address on Saturday, where he asked partners for additional weapons and assistance to counter the threat.

He said Russian leader Vladimir Putin has requested the additional troops — double the number already deployed — and that “preparations have been underway in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive” the new batch of North Koreans since June. 

Zelensky did not specify whether DPRK leader Kim Jong Un has agreed to the request, nor whether Putin wants the soldiers to