North Korea started the deployment of a missile unit to Russia that will soon enter the war against Ukraine, Reuters reported on August 5, citing Ukraine’s military intelligence agency. The unit is made up of 90 military personnel, operating six missile launchers and armed with 120 ballistic missiles.

The North Koreans have also separately delivered a batch of 40 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles to Russian forces, Reuters said.

For Ukraine, this is a dark development. The country is already critically short of high-end air defenses, particularly Patriot missile systems, which are among the few weapons capable of reliably intercepting ballistic missiles. Russia is well aware of the shortage and has sought to exploit it by launching increasing numbers of ballistic missiles at Ukrainian cities.

The arrival of this North Korean missile unit, equipped with 120 ballistic missiles, will only intensify that threat. Unless Ukraine’s air defenses are strengthened soon, a significant number of these missiles are likely to penetrate its defenses and reach their targets.

Those targets are often residential neighborhoods. The result will be the deaths and maiming of many civilians—men, women and children. That is precisely Russia’s objective: to terrorize the population and break its will to resist. And North Korea is actively helping Russia pursue that barbaric goal.

The most recent of such attacks came on August 4, when Russia fired 24 ballistic missiles, as well as four cruise missiles and 115 attack drones at residential areas in Kyiv, Ukraine, and the surrounding region. The barrage killed 17 people and injured at least 44 others. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said those tragic numbers could have been lower if Ukraine had access to more air defense interceptors.

So news of the North Korean unit is alarming for the Ukrainians. But of course, it’s very welcome for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his forces to have another nation joining them, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Russian troops, and even bringing in high-end weaponry to add to Russia’s arsenals.

This is not the first instance of North Korea aiding Putin’s forces since this war started four and a half years ago. North Korea has been sending significant quantities of artillery shells, munitions and missiles to Russia. And since 2024, it has been sending actual troops—as many as 16,000—to fight alongside the Russians.

These are significant numbers and could have a serious bearing on Russia’s war against Ukraine. In light of Bible prophecy, this news takes on particular importance.

Ezekiel 38:2 (New King James Version) discusses an individual called the “prince of Rosh,” or the “prince of Russia.” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has identified Vladimir Putin as this prince. In his 2017 booklet The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia,’ he writes:

This world has a lot of authoritarian rulers. But Vladimir Putin is one we need to keep a particularly close eye on. His track record, his nationality and his ideology show that he is fulfilling a linchpin Bible prophecy. The time frame of his rule also shows that nobody else could be fulfilling the Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecy.

These chapters in Ezekiel show that this “prince” will soon head a colossal army that will play a major role in the third world war. Revelation 9:16 details exactly how colossal the force will be: “the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand.”

This means 200 million military personnel, which is 15 times bigger than the largest army ever amassed in human history. But Russia, with its population just over 140 million, could never field this number on its own.

Ezekiel 38 identifies several ancient peoples that represent modern Asian nations, which will come under Russia’s leadership and send their armies to form this prophesied 200 million-man force. Verses 2 through 5 give names signifying modern China and India. And verse 6 lists Gomer, which is the main ancestor of several Asian peoples, including the modern Koreans.

These passages show that Korean soldiers will be part of the massive multinational Asian force that Putin will soon lead. To see North Korea today subordinating itself to Putin’s Russia, supplying vast amounts of weaponry, and even sending thousands of troops and a missile unit to further the war effort shows that the stage is being set for North Korea to take its place in the Putin-led 200 million-man army.

It is clear that devastating years lie ahead for Russia, Ukraine, North Korea and the whole world. But Mr. Flurry emphasizes in his booklet that this destruction will not last long and will give way to a radiant, hope-filled future. He writes:

Vladimir Putin is a sign, literally a SIGN [of] one of the most inspiring messages in the Bible. What we are seeing in Russia ultimately leads to the transition from man ruling man to God ruling man! … A great transition is about to occur.

To understand the details of these Bible prophecies and “one of the most inspiring messages in the Bible,” order your free copy of The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia.’