There’s evidence North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of Vladimir Putin’s invasion, American and South Korean officials have said.
This marks the first time a third country has put boots on the ground in the war if the soldiers fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.
South Korea’s spy chief told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean troops were being trained to use equipment including drones before being sent to fight in Ukraine. Lloyd Austin, US defence secretary, said "we are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops" who have gone to Russia.
It would be “very, very serious” if they are preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Kyiv has alleged.
In Kyiv, the foreign ministry said the Brics summit has backfired on Moscow as Russian officials have failed to win support for its invasion of Ukraine as Putin faced direct calls to end the war.
“The Brics summit, which Russia planned to use to split the world, has once again demonstrated that the world majority remains on the side of Ukraine in its quest to guarantee a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace,” the ministry said.
Key Points
- What we know about the North Korean troops in Ukraine
- Russian forces capture two villages in Donetsk
- Foreign troops would escalate war, says Belarusian president
Ukraine's 'I Want to Live' project calls on North Korean soldiers to surrender
04:41
Arpan Rai
Ukraine is preparing as though combating North Korea in its territory is inevitable.
American and South Korean officials confirmed that there’s evidence North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of war with Ukraine.
An injection of 10,000 North Korean troops, which is what both Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence have claimed, “could significantly destabilise Ukraine’s defence there and greatly accelerate the advancement of Russian forces,” said Glib Voloskyi, an analyst from a Ukrainian think tank, Come Back Alive Initiatives Center.
Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” project, a hotline encouraging Russian soldiers to surrender, published a video in Korean calling for North Korean soldiers to give up.“We call for the soldiers of the Korean People’s Army, who were sent to help the Putin regime. You should not die senselessly on someone else’s land. There is no need to repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who will never return home!”
What we know about the North Korean troops in Ukraine
04:24
Arpan Rai
North Korean troops were arriving in Russia’s Kursk region as early as yesterday to help Russian troops fight off a Ukrainian border incursion, Ukraine military intelligence directorate head Kyrylo Budanov told the online military news outlet The War Zone.
Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters North Korean officers and technical personnel have already been spotted in Russian-occupied territories. He did not specify when.“I believe they sent officers first to assess the situation before deploying troops,” Mr Zelensky said.
He has cautioned that the participation of a third country could escalate the conflict into a world war. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said that it would be a “very, very serious issue” if Pyongyang indeed did join the war on Russia’s side.
“What exactly they’re doing — left to be seen,” Mr Austin said. Neither Mr Austin nor South Korean National Intelligence Service director Cho Tae-yong provided details about how they knew about the North Korean troops, and many questions surround the impact of North Korean participation.
Foreign troops would escalate Ukraine conflict, says Belarusian president
04:01
Arpan Rai
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, said deploying any foreign forces in the Ukraine conflict would inevitably lead to an escalation.
The comments came as the US said for the first time it had seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia and South Korean lawmakers said about 3,000 soldiers had been sent.
Mr Lukashenko dismissed the notion that North Korea had dispatched troops to be deployed alongside Russian forces in the more than two-and-a-half year old war in Ukraine.
“Rubbish,” Lukashenko told the BBC on the sidelines of the summit of the Brics grouping of nations. “Knowing his character Putin would never try to persuade another country to involve its army in Russia’s special operation in Ukraine.”
Deploying foreign troops, he said, “would be a step towards the escalation of the conflict if the armed forces of any country, even Belarus, were on the contact line.”
And that would prompt Ukraine’s allies to point to foreign involvement “so Nato troops would be deployed to Ukraine.”
Russia claims Ukraine in Nato is not an option that can be discussed
04:00
Andy Gregory
Inviting Ukraine to join Nato can not and will not be a matter for discussion in talks with Russia, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
She urged the West to stop supplying weapon to Kyiv, claiming that a stoppage would end the war.
Russian forces capture two villages in Ukraine’s Donetsk
03:54
Arpan Rai
Russian forces captured the villages of Serebrianka and Mykolaivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s Defence Ministry said yesterday, as military blogs reported advances of Moscow’s troops near key frontline towns.
Ukraine’s military made no acknowledgement of either village falling into Russian hands, but said both areas of the front were gripped by intense fighting.
Bloggers on both sides reported an intense Russian drive on the town of Selydove.
The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces had repelled all 12 Russian attacks undertaken in an area around Serebrianka just inside the northern border of Donetsk region.
It said heavy fighting gripped towns on the approach to Pokrovsk, the next key logistical town in the Russian military’s steady push westward in Donetsk region.
The popular Ukrainian military blog DeepState said Ukrainian troops were facing overwhelming odds defending Selydove – which lies southwest of Mykolaivka. Capturing Selydove would pave the way for a Russian advance on Pokrovsk.
DeepState said Russian forces with “the advantage of endless resources of infantry and equipment” were putting pressure on Ukrainian defences and advancing from both north and south.
Ukraine video claims to show North Korean soldiers lining up to collect Russia military gear
03:00
Andy Gregory
Nato actively discussing North Korean troops’ deployment to Russia
02:00
Andy Gregory
Nato allies are actively discussing the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, a Nato spokesperson has said.
“Allies have confirmed evidence of a DPRK troop deployment to Russia”, spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said, without specifying which allies.
“We are actively consulting within the Alliance on this matter, and the North Atlantic Council will receive a briefing from [South Korea] and further discuss this matter soon.”
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier on Wednesday there is evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia but that it remained to be seen what they would be doing there.
BRICS summit shows organisation has no unified position on Ukraine war, Kyiv says
01:00
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has said that the BRICS summit declaration demonstrated that the organisation had no unified position on the war in Ukraine.
“Moscow’s attempts to impose an idea of an alleged alternative position of the so-called Global South regarding Russian aggression against Ukraine have failed again,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The declaration demonstrated that the BRICS as an association does not have a joint position on Russian aggression against Ukraine,” it added.
BRICS leaders including China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for a ceasefire in Gaza and made positive noises about a non-Western payment system but mentioned Ukraine just once in their final communique.
While the 43-page document called for a ceasefire in Gaza and ranged from geopolitics to the preservation of big cats, it mentioned Ukraine just once.
“We recall national positions concerning the situation in and around Ukraine as expressed in the appropriate fora,” the communique said. “We note with appreciation relevant proposals of mediation and good offices, aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
Putin scores a BRICS win with rare Xi and Modi show of harmony
Thursday 24 October 2024 00:01
Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian premier Narendra Modi used a BRICS summit in Russia on Wednesday to showcase ambitions for a more harmonious relationship between the world’s two most populous countries after years of animosity.
The meeting between Xi and Modi, who have not held formal talks for five years, was one highlight of a summit which Vladimir Putin sought to use to show that the West had failed to isolate Russia over the Ukraine war.
A final communique listed a number of projects aimed at facilitating trade between BRICS nations – including an alternative payment system to the dollar – but did not include details or timelines.
Just two days after New Delhi announced that it had reached a deal with Beijing to resolve a four-year military stand-off on their disputed Himalayan frontier, Xi told Modi that they should enhance communication and cooperation and effectively manage differences.
“It is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples for China and India to correctly grasp the trend of history and the direction of development of their relations,” Xi said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Video report: Russia and Ukraine exchange 190 Prisoners of War
Wednesday 23 October 2024 23:00
Andy Gregory
Sweden to grant ex-Nato chief with knighthood for roles in its accession to alliance
Wednesday 23 October 2024 22:01
Andy Gregory
US secretary of state Antony Blinken and former Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg will be knighted in Sweden for their role in enabling the country to join the Western military alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – in what marked a historic realignment of Europe’s post-Cold War security.
In addition to Mr Blinken and Mr Stoltenberg, former Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin and former Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto will receive the Royal Order of the Polar Star, which given to foreign citizens and stateless persons “for extraordinary efforts for Swedish interests.”
G7 allies are moving ahead with a $50bn loan for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian funds
Wednesday 23 October 2024 21:01
Andy Gregory
Orban accuses EU of ‘leading West into hopeless war’ in Ukraine
Wednesday 23 October 2024 20:02
Andy Gregory
Viktor Orban accused the EU of having “led the West into a hopeless war” in Ukraine as the Hungarian premier claimed the bloc was seeking to topple his government in a speech on a national holiday celebrating the 1956 armed uprising against Soviet repression.
Mr Orban has clashed with the bloc repeatedly over the war in Ukraine, having routinely blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to extend assistance to Ukraine and sanction Russia.
Mr Orban has also broken with other EU leaders by arguing for an immediate cease-fire and peace talks in Ukraine, leading critics to suggest that he is advocating for Russian interests and turning his back on his EU and Nato partners.
“The Brussels bureaucrats have led the West into a hopeless war,” Mr Orban, who is widely seen as having the closest relationship with Vladimir Putin of any EU leader, told his supporters. “In their minds, dizzy with the hope of victory, this war is the war of the West against Russia ... Now they want to openly push the entire European Union into the war in Ukraine.”
He claimed, without providing evidence, that the EU plans to allow Ukrainian soldiers to station in Hungary after a future victory “to guarantee the security of the whole of Europe.”
He added: “We Hungarians would wake up one morning to find that Slavic soldiers from the east were again stationed on the territory of Hungary. We do not want that, but the pressure from Brussels is getting stronger every day.”
Viktor Orban claims the EU seeks to topple Hungary's government
Wednesday 23 October 2024 19:01
Reuters
Viktor Orban has claimed in a speech that the European Union seeks to topple his government and install a puppet regime in the Central European country, marking an escalation of open hostility toward the bloc by the member considered to have the warmest ties with Russia.
Speaking before thousands of supporters in Budapest, Orban was marking Hungary’s national holiday commemorating a 1956 armed uprising against Soviet repression that began in the capital and spread across the country before being crushed by the Red Army.
Mr Orban has often used the holiday, which looms large in Hungarians’ memory as a freedom fight against foreign domination, to draw parallels between past occupying forces like the Soviet Union and Ottoman Empire and the EU of today.
“Independent Hungarian politics are unacceptable to Brussels,” Mr Orban told the crowd. “That is why they announced in Brussels that they will get rid of Hungary’s national government. They also announced that they wanted to hang a Brussels puppet government around the country’s neck.”
He added: “Do we bow to foreign will, this time to the will of Brussels, or do we resist it? I propose that our answer be as clear and unambiguous as it was in 1956.”
The EU has withheld billions in financial support from Hungary over its alleged breaches of rule of law, while some of the bloc’s politicians have repeatedly proposed stripping Hungary of its voting rights over democratic backsliding. The EU parliament declared in 2022 that Hungary can no longer be considered a democracy.
Czech-British journalist detained at Georgia airport
Wednesday 23 October 2024 18:03
Andy Gregory
A Czech-British journalist has been detained on his arrival in Georgia to cover Saturday’s parliamentary election and was being held at Tbilisi’s airport awaiting a flight to Prague, Czech authorities said.
Ray Baseley, who describes himself as a Czech-British freelance journalist on X, said in a post on the platform on Tuesday that he was refused entry to Georgia “without reasoning or any further explanation”.
Mr Baseley, who reports regularly from Georgia and Ukraine, had arrived to cover the 26 October election which has been widely viewed as a test of whether Georgia returns to Russia’s orbit or maintains its pro-Western orientation.
“The consul personally went to the airport where the man is being held in a detention centre,” the Foreign Ministry said, adding: “She spoke with him, he is fine and waiting for a flight to Prague. We are still interested in concrete reasons for his detention and refusal of entry.”
Finland believes Russia carrying out acts of disruption and sabotage, minister says
Wednesday 23 October 2024 17:32
Andy Gregory
Finland is experiencing suspicious acts of sabotage and disruption and believes Russia is engaged in broad-ranging influence operations against it and other European countries, Finland’s interior minister Lulu Ranne has warned.
Nato and Western intelligence services – including Finland’s – have warned that Russia is behind a growing number of hostile activities across the Euro-Atlantic area, ranging from repeated cyber attacks to Moscow-linked arson, all of which Russia denies.
“We are experiencing disruptions, acts of sabotage, various types of damage, and instrumentalised migration, among other things. This creates a general sense of uncertainty and vagueness about what is true and what is not,” Ms Ranne told reporters, adding that investigations into many of the cases are ongoing.
“However, based on the information from both civilian and military intelligence, we have clear indications pointing to Russia,” she said, adding the link was most evident in GPS interference Finland has witnessed in its maritime and air traffic.
“Currently, Russia is the main entity engaging in broad-ranging influence operations against us,” she said.
Putin hosts Global South leaders at BRICS summit meant to counterbalance Western clout
Wednesday 23 October 2024 17:02
Tom Watling
German prosecutors file murder charges in killing of Ukrainian soldiers
Wednesday 23 October 2024 16:32
Tom Watling
German prosecutors have filed murder charges against a Russian citizen on suspicion of stabbing to death two convalescing Ukrainian soldiers in southern Germany, they said on Wednesday.
The soldiers were found with serious stab wounds outside a shopping centre in the Bavarian town of Murnau am See in April, according to police. One of them, aged 36, died at the scene, while the other, 23, succumbed to his wounds in hospital.
A 57-year-old Russian citizen was arrested shortly after at home and he remains in custody in Munich, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said that the Russian man fully supported the war in Ukraine due to his excessive nationalism and was aware of the wartime service of the soldiers, whom he had met before.
According to prosecutors, the three were drinking together when an argument broke out about the situation in Ukraine that confirmed the Russian man’s hostile stance toward the soldiers.
A regional jury court in Munich must now decide on the opening of the main proceedings, according to prosecutors.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's posthumous memoir is a testament to resilience
Wednesday 23 October 2024 16:01
Tom Watling
South Korean protesters oppose sending weapons to Ukraine
Wednesday 23 October 2024 15:32
Tom Watling
North Korea sent 3,000 troops to Russia for Ukraine war, says South
Wednesday 23 October 2024 15:01
Tom Watling
Britain and Germany sign new defence agreement as Ukraine tensions rise
Wednesday 23 October 2024 14:29
Tom Watling
Britain and Germany signed a landmark defence agreement on Wednesday and pledged to co-operate on exercises on Nato’s eastern flank as they stressed the need for Europe to be able to defend itself given possible escalation in the war in Ukraine.
Europe’s two biggest spenders on defence said the pact includes a commitment to develop new weapons that have a greater range and accuracy than current long-range missile systems like Storm Shadow, which Britain has given to Ukraine.
Highlighting their security concerns, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on allies to respond to evidence that North Korea is providing Russia with troops to get involved in the war.
“I see this as a sign of desperation, as well as a shocking escalation,” British defence secretary John Healey said at a joint press conference, adding it was highly likely North Korean troops had been deployed into Russia, but less clear if they had been sent to Ukraine yet.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius said he was “quite concerned about that development”, as it illustrated how international conflicts were increasingly interlinked, making them harder to de-escalate.
Putin attends BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia
Wednesday 23 October 2024 14:00
Tom Watling
EU urges BRICS countries to tell Putin to end Ukraine war
Wednesday 23 October 2024 13:30
Tom Watling
The European Union has urged countries attending the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, to ask President Vladimir Putin to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
More than 20 leaders, including Putin, Chinese president Xi Jinping, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian are attending the summit.
EU foreign policy spokesperson Peter Stano condemned “Russia’s misuse” of its chairmanship of the group, noting that there is an arrest warrant for the Russian leader.
“We trust that all participants of the summit in Kazan will use this event to call on Putin once again to immmediately end the war against the Ukrainian people,” he said.
The spokesperson also said the EU supports United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is attending the summit.
“We trust that he will reinforce the call on Russia and on Putin to completely and unconditionally stop the brutal aggression against the Ukrainian people,” he said.
Germany summons North Korean charge d'affaires over support for Russia
Wednesday 23 October 2024 12:58
Tom Watling
Germany has summoned North Korea’s charge d’affaires over growing concerns that Pyongyang is building its support for Russia in the war in Ukraine, the foreign ministry in Berlin said.
“Should reports be true on North Korean soldiers in Ukraine and should North Korea now be supporting the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine with troops, this would be serious and in violation of international law,” the foreign office said in a post on social media platform X. North Korean support for Russia threatens German security and European peace, the ministry added.
In pictures: Injured Ukrainian soldiers receive treatment in Lviv
Wednesday 23 October 2024 12:31
Tom Watling
South Korea may supply arms to Ukraine after ‘North troops in Russia’
Wednesday 23 October 2024 11:58
Tom Watling
Russian forces capture two villages in eastern Ukraine, state media reports
Wednesday 23 October 2024 11:29
Tom Watling
Russian forces have captured the villages of Serebrianka and Mykolaivka in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk region, the Tass news agency has cited Russia’s Defence Ministry as claiming.
The Independent could not verify these claims - and Moscow often says it controls towns prior to actually entering them.
North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for Ukraine war, South Korean lawmakers say
Wednesday 23 October 2024 11:03
Tom Watling
North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday after being briefed by the national intelligence agency, twice the amount of a previous estimate.
Pyongyang had promised to provide a total of around 10,000 troops, and their deployment was expected to be completed by December, the lawmakers told journalists.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied reports about North Korean soldiers heading to the battlefield which have also been made by Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies on Tuesday to respond to evidence of North Korean involvement in Russia’s war.
A top US diplomat said on Monday that Washington was consulting with its allies on the implications of North Korean involvement and added that such a development would be a “dangerous and highly concerning development” if true.
Seoul’s National Intelligence Service said on Friday the North had sent around 1,500 soldiers to Russia by ship.
Russia attacked at least four merchant vessels this month, says defence intelligence
Wednesday 23 October 2024 10:42
Tom Watling
At least four merchant vessels were struck by Russian munitions between 5 and 14 October, British defence intelligence has said.
These include:
05 October 2024 - Yuzhny port - MV PARESA (St Kitts and Nevis flagged) was almost certainly the target of the strike that damaged it. Following the attack, the Russian MoD released a video of what they say shows the vessel unloading containerised cargo which they likely perceive to be weapons.
07 October 2024 - Odesa port - MV OPTIMA (Palau flagged). There is a realistic possibility that the vessel was collateral damage as a result of a strike on port infrastructure and was not the direct target of the attack. MV OPTIMA was also likely further damaged in a strike on port infrastructure on 15 October 2024.
08 October 2024 - Chronomorsk port MV SHUI SPIRIT (Panama flagged).Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitalii Koval stated the MV SHUI SPIRIT was carrying sunflower oil as part of a UN shipment. However, the vessel was a containerised cargo carrier and noting the earlier strike on MV OPTIMA, there is a realistic possibility that this vessel was also the target of the strike as opposed to collateral damage.
14 October 2024 - Odesa port - NS MOON (Belize flagged) was likely damaged in strikes on port infrastructure. The vessel was likely collateral damage in strikes on port infrastructure.
In pictures: Testing drones on the frontline in eastern Ukraine
Wednesday 23 October 2024 10:22
Tom Watling
Starmer: Putin shows no respect for human life, including those who live in supposedly allied nations
Wednesday 23 October 2024 09:51
Tom Watling
Sir Keir Starmer has said that Russian president Vladimir Putin “shows no respect for human life” after a British intelligence update suggested his forces had bombed cargo ships destined for the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said: “Russia’s indiscriminate strikes on ports in the Black Sea underscore that Putin is willing to gamble on global food security in his attempts to force Ukraine into submission.
“In doing so, he is harming millions of vulnerable people across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, to try and gain the upper hand in his barbaric war.
“Now they are intensifying attacks on areas of Ukraine that support the global south with much-needed food.
“Russia has no respect for the norms and laws that govern our international system. Not only was their illegal invasion a blatant attack on the principles of the UN Charter, but the way they have executed their war in Ukraine shows no respect for human life, or the consequences of their invasion across the world.”
Picture shows UN secretary general arriving in Russia
Wednesday 23 October 2024 09:31
Tom Watling
The first picture of United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres arriving in Kazan, Russia, has been published.
The UN chief has come under fire from Ukraine for attending the BRICS summit in Russia, where he is rumoured to be meeting Vladimir Putin.
Putin to discuss nuclear power plants and gas hub with Erdogan
Wednesday 23 October 2024 09:28
Tom Watling
Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the construction of new power plants and a gas hub in Turkey during their meeting in Kazan.
Russia’s RIA news agency cited a diplomatic source saying that the talks held on the sidelines of the Brics summit in Russia may also include some concrete further instructions on the plans.
“It is quite possible that the leaders will give their instructions to the relevant departments to develop these projects,” RIA cited the source as saying.
UN secretary general Guterres arrives in Russia for BRICS summit, Tass reports
Wednesday 23 October 2024 09:00
Tom Watling
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres arrived in the Russian city of Kazan on Wednesday to attend the meeting of the heads of states of BRICS group, the Tass news agency cited local authorities as saying.
Ukraine‘s foreign ministry criticised Guterres this week for his acceptance of an invitation from Russian president Vladimir Putin to the BRICS summit, while staying away from a “peace summit” on the war in Ukraine.
Guterres’ office has said he would discuss the Ukrainian conflict with Putin, as well as the crisis in the Middle East.
Incoming EU foreign policy chief Kallas warns against Russia and China
Wednesday 23 October 2024 08:45
Tom Watling
The European Union’s next foreign policy chief has told lawmakers that strengthening security must be a priority, warning that Europe must be prepared as Russia and “partly China” exploit the continent’s open societies.
“European security is deeply personal to me as a native of a country that has long told others that Russia’s imperialistic dream never died,” Kaja Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister, said in written replies to members of the European Parliament published late on Tuesday.
“My short-term priority must be to address the pressing global concerns: Russia’s war against Ukraine and strengthening the EU’s security and defence,” she wrote.
Kallas, nominated by European leaders in June to serve as the bloc’s new high representative for foreign affairs, is set to succeed incumbent Josep Borrell.
The European Parliament will hold hearings in November for members of the next European Commission.
Ms Kallas added: “Actors such as Russia, Iran, North Korea, and partly China, aim at weaponising interdependencies and exploiting the openness of our societies against us. For this, we must be prepared.”
In pics: Vladimir Putin meets world leaders during Brics summit in Kazan
Wednesday 23 October 2024 08:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine downs 57 Russian drones over 12 regions, air force says
Wednesday 23 October 2024 08:25
Tom Watling
Ukraine‘s air defence shot down 57 Russian drones over 12 regions across the country, the air force said on Wednesday.
The air force said the Russian forces launched 81 drones and attacked the southern region of Odesa with a missile.
India’s Modi calls for peace in Ukraine during meeting with Putin
Wednesday 23 October 2024 08:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
India’s Narendra Modi told Russian president Vladimir Putin on the eve of the Brics summit that he wanted peace in Ukraine and that New Delhi was ready to help achieve a truce to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
Mr Putin, who ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, wants the Brics summit to showcase the rising clout of the non-Western world after the US and its European and Asian allies tried to isolate Russia over the war
.Mr Putin thanked the Indian prime minister for accepting the invitation to visit Kazan, a city on the banks of the Volga, and said Russia and India shared a “privileged strategic partnership”.
The Indian prime minister thanked Mr Putin for his “strong friendship”, praised growing cooperation and the evolution of Brics but also said that India felt the conflict in Ukraine should be ended peacefully.
“We have been in constant touch on the subject of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” Mr Modi said. “We believe that problems should be resolved only through peaceful means.”
Pyongyang and Moscow deny North Korea troop deployment
Wednesday 23 October 2024 07:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
North Korea and Russia have denied the North Korean troop deployment as well as the purported weapons transfer.
At a UN Security Council meeting, Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia dismissed the South Korean assertion as well as Western allegations of Iran supplying Russia with missiles and China providing arms components.
He accused the West of “circulating scaremongering with Iranian, Chinese and Korean bogeymen, each one of which is more absurd than the one before”.
At a separate UN committee meeting, a North Korean diplomat said his delegation feels no need to comment on the troop dispatch, calling it “groundless, stereotype rumors aimed at smearing the image” of the North and undermining the legitimate cooperation between two sovereign states.
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called South Korean and Ukraine governments “lunatics” as she slammed them for making “reckless remarks against nuclear weapons states”.
North Korea dismisses reports of troops in Ukraine as ‘groundless rumors’
Wednesday 23 October 2024 07:00
Rachel Hagan
North Korea has claimed reports it has sent soldiers to fight with Russia against Ukraine are “groundless rumors,” the South Korean Yonhap news agency has reported, citing a North Korean representative to the United Nations.
The statement is Pyongyang’s first public reaction to multiple reports of such a deployment from Kyiv and Seoul.
The representative said during a session of the U.N. General Assembly First Committee on disarmament and international security: “As for the so-called military cooperation with Russia, my delegation does not feel any need for comment on such groundless stereotyped rumors aimed at smearing the image of the DPRK and undermining the legitimate, friendly and cooperative relations between two sovereign states.”
Russia detains over a dozen North Korean soldiers for leaving positions - report
Wednesday 23 October 2024 06:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russian authorities have reportedly detained at least 18 North Korean soldiers for allegedly abandoning their positions in Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine and South Korea have accused North Korea of sending thousands of soldiers to help in Russia’s war efforts on the frontline.
South Korea’s spy agency recently revealed that North Korea had deployed 1,500 soldiers to Russia’s far east for training, with plans to send a total of 12,000 troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Eighteen of the deployed soldiers deserted their positions in Russian regions near the Ukrainian border, Ukraine-based outlet Hromadske reported, citing a military intelligence source.
The North Korean soldiers were left in a forest in Kursk Oblast without food and instructions for several days following their training with the Russian troops on 14 October, according to the report.
The soldiers abandoned their posts and were initially declared missing before they were detained by Russian authorities roughly 60km from their original position, Hromadske reported.
Ukraine's potato harvest falls in 2024, driving up inflation
Wednesday 23 October 2024 06:00
Rachel Hagan
Poor weather conditions for potato cultivation in Ukraine this year have led to an 18% drop in the harvest, causing a sharp jump in prices, higher imports and accelerated inflation, officials and analysts say.
Often dubbed ‘second bread’, potatoes are a staple of the Ukrainian diet, with average consumption at about 130 kg per person a year, well above average bread consumption of up to 20 kg a year.
The agriculture ministry forecasts that this year’s potato harvest could fall to 17.5 million metric tons versus 21.3 million in 2023.
“This is the result of bad weather conditions, as the sown area remained unchanged at 1.2 million hectares,” Taras Vysotskiy, the first deputy minister, told Reuters.
Russia ‘downs 14 Ukrainian drones’
Wednesday 23 October 2024 05:55
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia’s defence units destroyed 14 Ukrainian air drones overnight, including 10 drones over the Crimean Peninsula and four unmanned boats in the Black Sea heading towards the Peninsula, Russia’s defence ministry said this morning.
Russian war plummeting Ukraine’s population, says UN
Wednesday 23 October 2024 05:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine’s population has declined by around eight million people since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to the UN Population Fund (Unfpa).
“Overall, Ukraine’s population has declined by an estimated 10 million since 2014 and by an estimated eight million since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022,” Unfpa’s regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Florence Bauer said yesterday.
Ukraine is already facing significant demographic challenges and has seen its birth rate plummet to one child per woman, the lowest in Europe, Ms Bauer said.U
kraine’s population stood at around 45 million in 2014, when Russia first invaded the country and occupied Crimea, the agency said.
Putin ‘harming millions’, Starmer claims amid Russian attacks on Black Sea ports
Wednesday 23 October 2024 05:07
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Sir Keir Starmer has accused Vladimir Putin of “harming millions of vulnerable people” as new British intelligence suggests ships carrying food aid have been caught up in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s ports.
Among the merchant ships hit by Russian missiles since the start of October was one bound for Palestine with UN food aid, newly released British intelligence suggests.
The strikes show Mr Putin is willing to “gamble on global food security”, the prime minister said, as others hit in the crossfire were carrying grain heading for the global south.
Attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports have ramped up as the harvest season begins in the war-torn nation, which remains a major agricultural producer key to food security in Africa.
Sir Keir said: “Russia’s indiscriminate strikes on ports in the Black Sea underscore that Putin is willing to gamble on global food security in his attempts to force Ukraine into submission.
More here.
North Korean troops in Ukraine are a ‘shocking’ and ‘desperate’ development
Wednesday 23 October 2024 05:00
Rachel Hagan
North Korean troops supporting Russia on the ground in Ukraine is a “shocking” and “desperate” new development in the war, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.
Mr Healey gave a statement to the Commons where he updated MPs as to a £2.26 billion loan to help Ukraine that will be funded by profits on frozen Russian assets.
Mr Healey told MPs: “North Korean soldiers supporting Russia’s war of aggression on European soil, it is as shocking as it is desperate.
“North Korea already sends significant munitions and arms to Russia in direct violation of multiple UN resolutions.
“This developing military co-operation between Russia and the DPRK has serious security implications for Europe and for the Indo-Pacific.
“It represents a wider, growing alliance of aggression which Nato and the G7 nations must confront.
“Despite this dangerous development, Ukraine remains determined to fight on their front line in the east and in the territory in Kursk.”
He added: “This conflict is now at a really critical moment, and that is why the UK continues to step up support for Ukraine.
“Ukrainians are fighting to regain their sovereign territory, but they are also fighting to protect the peace, the democracy and the security for the rest of us in Europe.”
Putin hosts 36 global leaders at Brics summit
Wednesday 23 October 2024 04:30
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