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The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia to bolster Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine is a sign of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “growing desperation”, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte has said.
His comments come as Western countries, including the US, say North Korea has sent some 10,000 soldiers to help Russia’s military campaign.
Some of the North Korean soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said and were believed to be heading for the Kursk border region where Russia has been struggling to push back a Ukrainian incursion.
Speaking after Russian officials claimed to have blocked an attempt by an “armed group” to breach the border from Ukraine into the nearby Bryansk region, Mr Rutte said he could confirm the deployment of North Korean soldiers in Kursk.
Their presence in Russia marks “a significant escalation” in North Korea’s involvement in the conflict and “a dangerous expansion of Russia’s war”, he said.
Meanwhile, at least four people died in Russia’s overnight bombing of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, the mayor of Kharkiv said this morning.
Ukraine and South Korea to enhance cooperation to counter North Korea
Further details have been released about President Volodymyr Zelensky’s agreement with South Korea’s president to step up contacts between their nations at all levels to develop countermeasures and a strategy to respond to North Korea’s involvement in the war in Ukraine.
In a phone call with President Yoon Suk Yeol, Zelensky said the two leaders also agreed to strengthen exchanges of intelligence and expertise.
Zelensky said he shared data about the deployment of 3,000 North Korean troops to Russian training grounds near the combat zone, with their presence expected to increase to approximately 12,000.
“We agreed to strengthen intelligence and expertise exchange, intensify contacts at all levels, especially the highest, in order to develop an action strategy and countermeasures to address this escalation, and to engage our mutual partners in cooperation,” he said.
Rachel Hagan29 October 2024 10:46
Zelensky and South Korea leader have discussed North Korean role in Ukraine
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he had talked to South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and discussed the involvement of North Korean military forces in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The conclusion is clear – this war is becoming internationalized, extending beyond two countries,” Zelensky said on X social network.
Zelensky said the two leaders agreed to strengthen intelligence, exchange expertise and intensify contacts at all levels.
Rachel Hagan29 October 2024 09:42
Photos show Russian attack on Kharkiv that killed four
At least four people were killed and another six injured in Russia’s multi-wave overnight attacks on Ukraine’s two largest cities of Kharkiv and Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said today.
Russia attacks Ukrainian regions almost every night with drones and the Ukrainian military reported that last night they shot down 26 out of 48 drones launched.
Four people were killed in Kharkiv after midnight in Russia’s bombardment of the city’s Osnovianskyi district, mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Arpan Rai29 October 2024 08:06
Nato chief confirms North Korea troops deployed to Russia
Nato chief Mark Rutte joined Seoul, Washington and Kyiv in confirming Pyongyang’s dispatch of troops to Russia, saying North Korean military units had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region near the Ukraine border.
“Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region,” he said yesterday. The deployment of North Korean troops to Kursk is “also a sign of [president] Putin’s growing desperation,” he said.
“The deployment of North Korean troops represents: one, a significant escalation in the DPRK’s [North Korea’s official name] ongoing involvement in Russia’s illegal war. Two, yet another breach of UN Security Council resolutions. And three, a dangerous expansion of Russia’s war,” Mr Rutte said yesterday after Nato officials and diplomats were briefed by a South Korean delegation.
Arpan Rai29 October 2024 08:02
Ukraine downs 26 out of 48 Russian drones, air force says
Ukraine’s air defences downed 26 of 48 Russian drones launched overnight, the Ukrainian military said this morning.
The air force said it lost track of 20 drones and one more returned to Russia.
Arpan Rai29 October 2024 07:54
Pentagon issues North Korea warning as 10,000 troops set to join Russia’s war in coming weeks
The soldiers were believed to be heading for the border region of Kursk, where Moscow recently suffered defeats and has been struggling to push back Ukrainian troops, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Sigh said on Monday.
On Tuesday, South Korean lawmakers, briefed by the country’s spy agency, said some high-ranking North Korean military officials and troops deployed to Russia might move to the frontline.
Arpan Rai29 October 2024 07:02
US and South Korean defence chiefs to meet on Thursday
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin and secretary of state Antony Blinken will meet with their South Korean counterparts on Thursday in Washington.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said Mr Austin and defence minister Kim Yong-hyun will discuss the deployment of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine.
Warning that there will be no limitations on the use of US-provided weapons on those forces, Ms Singh said: “If we see DPRK troops moving in towards the front lines, they are co-belligerents in the war. This is a calculation that North Korea has to make.”
Andy Gregory29 October 2024 07:00
Zelensky taunts Putin by wearing ‘make russia small again’ T-shirt
Andy Gregory29 October 2024 06:00
Russia bombs historic landmark in Kharkiv
A Russian guided bomb attack on Kharkiv yesterday shattered much of the Derzhprom building, one of the most celebrated landmarks in Ukraine’s second city, dating from the 1920s.
Six people were injured in the 9pm strike, adding to 13 wounded in an earlier overnight bomb attack on the city.
The Derzhprom building, placed on the “tentative” list of Unesco World Heritage Sites, was completed in 1928 when Kharkiv was the capital of Soviet Ukraine.
Reuters Television video showed parts of the Derzhprom building reduced to rubble and virtually all of its windows shattered.
“The occupiers have struck an iconic symbol of the city, known to all residents of Kharkiv,” Oleh Syniehubov, governor of Kharkiv region, wrote on Telegram. He said several floors had been destroyed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the strike on Kharkiv’s Derzhprom (State Industry) building, one of the most striking examples of Soviet-era constructivism architecture and dubbed the Soviet Union’s first skyscraper.
Writing on X, he also deplored the attack on Kryvyi Rih, his home town, and called for renewed efforts to force Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to halt the war.
“Every handshake with war criminal Putin boosts his confidence. Every pleasant smile convinces him that he can get away with his crimes,” Mr Zelensky wrote.
“Instead of cosying up to him, we must force him into peace through our collective decisiveness.”
Arpan Rai29 October 2024 05:35
North Korea’s foreign minister leaves for Russia amid troop dispatch
North Korea’s foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, is on her way to Moscow, state media KCNA and Russian officials said today, for her second trip to Russia in six weeks amid rising concerns about Pyongyang’s involvement in Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
KCNA said a delegation led by Ms Chloe left yesterday for an official visit to Russia, without elaborating.
Russia’s ambassador to Pyongyang, Alexander Matsegora, saw off Ms Choe at the airport, the Russian embassy said in a statement posted on the embassy’s Vkontakte social media page.
“The visit of the head of the DPRK [North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] foreign ministry to the Russian Federation is taking place within the framework of a strategic dialogue – following an agreement to enhance ties reached by the leaders of our countries during the June 2024 summit,” the statement said.
Arpan Rai29 October 2024 05:03
