Putin orders army expansion as Zelensky claims North Korea sending 10,000 more troops

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed North Korea is preparing to send 10,000 additional troops to Russia, alongside 8,000 already deployed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree increasing active servicemen in the Russian armed forces by 15,500 to 1.55 million.

Russian drone and missile strikes hit Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, killing at least ten people and damaging civilian infrastructure.

Moscow transferred the Russian operations of German retailer Metro AG under temporary administration amid escalating diplomatic tensions with Berlin.

NATO urged European countries to publicly expose Russian hybrid attacks and sabotage to deter Moscow's destabilising operations across the region.