Ukraine War: North Korean and AI-Generated Soldiers

In the Ukraine war, following the successes of the strategic campaign against the Russian oil and gas industry, air defense positions, and supply routes, particularly through drone strikes in recent months, there is growing concern on the Ukrainian side about increasingly successful Russian strikes with ballistic missiles before winter. The main reason is the depletion of Patriot surface-to-air missile stocks.

After European supporters of Ukraine, in their deliveries, have already pushed to the edge of the minimal figures for their own needs, the substantial consumption by the USA and its allies in the Iran conflict has further worsened the global supply situation. Lacking equally effective alternatives, the interception rate of Russian attacks has accordingly declined sharply. The Ukraine therefore faces the cold season with an increasingly strained electricity, gas, and water supply, as well as damage to infrastructure and its own supply facilities more generally.

Development of inexpensive own defense weapons

Indeed, Ukraine is increasingly developing the domestic defense system Freyja on the basis of the short-range ballistic missile FP-7 by Fire Point, which was publicly revealed for the first time in 2025. The speed-enhanced effector FP7.X is to be combined, among other things, with a seeker head from the German IRIS-T manufacturer Diehl and radar as well as other systems from additional European partner companies. The goal is a cost-effective intercepting projectile that compensates for its lower effectiveness compared with Patriot by deploying larger numbers.

However, when this will be available remains unclear, while Russian production of ballistic missiles continues to deplete the stock of defense missiles. Additionally, North Korea, according to Ukrainian reports, is once again supporting its ally Russia by sending its own troops, including missile units. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of 30,000 to 50,000 men, which far exceeds the estimate of up to 15,000 during the Ukrainian offensive against the Russian Kursk Oblast in 2023/24.

Deployment of North Koreans also in Ukraine itself?

Yosef Galil Avatar
Yosef Galil
Yosef Galil is a writer specializing in security and Middle Eastern affairs. Through his analysis, he explores the military, geopolitical, and strategic dynamics shaping the region. On Draft IDF, he provides clear and informed insights into complex issues related to contemporary conflicts.

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