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.
Key Points
- Four killed in Kharkiv by Russian bombing
- Finland warns Xi of 'provocation' by N Korea in Ukraine war
- Nato chief confirms North Korea troops deployed to Russia
Trump could look to Minsk-type deal to end Ukraine war, report suggests
16:34
Rachel Hagan
If elected US president, Donald Trump could seek to reimagine the Minsk agreements, which aimed to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and 2015 between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists, a longtime adviser has told the Financial Times.
But this time there would be enforcement mechanisms with consequences for breaching the deal, policed by European troops – as opposed to Nato or UN peacekeeping forces, the aide said, adding: “There are two things America will insist on. We will not have any men or women in the enforcement mechanism. We’re not paying for it. Europe is paying for it.”
Finland warns Xi of 'provocation' by N Korea in Ukraine war
15:57
Rachel Hagan
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he told China's president Xi Jinping that North Korean activities with Russia were an escalation and provocation in a message on behalf of NATO and the EU during talks in Beijing on Tuesday.
Stubb and Xi met as North Korea's foreign minister arrived in Russia, with Western military alliance NATO and South Korea warning that Pyongyang's troops could soon be entering the Ukraine war on Moscow's side.
“Right now we are very much in a situation whereby Russian aggression has violated international law. I look forward to discussing peaceful solutions on that path,” Stubb said in a brief speech during an official visit to China until the end of the month.
In July, Stubb called on Xi to help end the war in Ukraine, saying that Russia’s dependence on China meant that Xi Jinping could solve the issue with a single phone call.
Stubb said today that he felt the Chinese-North Korean relationship “is not very comfortable at the moment”, and that he had warned Xi supporting Russia would have negative implications for EU ties.
“The more China supports Russia, the more difficult the relationship with Europe, and especially the European Union, becomes,” Stubb said.
Putin begins strategic nuclear training exercise
14:23
Rachel Hagan
President Vladimir Putin kicked off a new exercise of Russia’s nuclear forces today, marking the second such drill that Moscow has held in two weeks.
In a video released by the Kremlin, Putin said using nuclear weapons would be an “extremely exceptional measure” but they need to be kept ready for use.
“We will work out the actions of officials to control the use of nuclear weapons with practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles,” Putin was shown saying in a video clip announcing the drill.
“We will continue to improve all their components. The resources for this are available. I stress that we are not going to get involved in a new arms race, but we will maintain nuclear forces at the level of necessary sufficiency,” he said.
The drill follows an October 18 exercise in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, involving a unit equipped with Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking US cities.
Chechen leader vows revenge after drone attack
12:43
Rachel Hagan
The notorious Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has promised to take revenge for a drone attack that caused a fire at a military training academy in his south Russian region.
Ukraine has frequently struck Russia with drones in the course of the war, but Tuesday's attack appeared to be the first against Chechnya.
Kadyrov told reporters in a video published by the Russian state news agency RIA: “They’ve bitten us - we will destroy them. In the very near future we'll show them the kind of vengeance they've never even dreamt of.”
Earlier, Kadyrov posted on Telegram that the drone strike had set fire to the roof of what he said was an empty building at the "special forces university" in the city of Gudermes. There were no casualties, he said.
Four killed in Kharkiv by Russian bombing
11:56
Rachel Hagan
Four people have been killed and another six injured by Russian bombing overnight on Ukraine‘s two largest cities of Kharkiv and Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.
Another two were killed and seven injured in Russian shelling on Kherson city in southern Ukraine in the morning, a local governor said.
Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian regions almost every night with drones and the Ukrainian military reported that overnight they had shot down 26 out of 48 drones launched.
Four people were killed in Kharkiv in the early hours of Tuesday in Russia’s bombardment of the city’s Osnovianskyi district, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on his Telegram messaging channel.
In Kyiv, falling debris from a destroyed Russian drone injured six people and set a residential building on fire, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital said.
One of the people injured by debris in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district was taken to hospital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel. He said several cars were also on fire.
In the morning attacks on Kherson, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on the Telegram messenger that the victims of the Russian shelling were a 62-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman.
Ukraine and South Korea to enhance cooperation to counter North Korea
10:46
Rachel Hagan
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.
Zelensky and South Korea leader have discussed North Korean role in Ukraine
09:42
Rachel Hagan
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.
Photos show Russian attack on Kharkiv that killed four
08:06
Arpan Rai
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.
Nato chief confirms North Korea troops deployed to Russia
08:02
Arpan Rai
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.
Ukraine downs 26 out of 48 Russian drones, air force says
07:54
Arpan Rai
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.
Pentagon issues North Korea warning as 10,000 troops set to join Russia’s war in coming weeks
07:02
Arpan Rai
North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia who could join Moscow‘s fight in Ukraine in the “next several weeks”, the Pentagon said amid rising concerns over Pyongyong’s involvement in Vladimir Putin’s war.
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.
US and South Korean defence chiefs to meet on Thursday
07:00
Andy Gregory
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.”
Zelensky taunts Putin by wearing ‘make russia small again’ T-shirt
06:00
Andy Gregory
Russia bombs historic landmark in Kharkiv
05:35
Arpan Rai
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.”
North Korea’s foreign minister leaves for Russia amid troop dispatch
05:03
Arpan Rai
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.
Kremlin seeks to shrug off Western allegations of North Korean troops in Russia
05:00
Andy Gregory
Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov shrugged off Nato chief’s Mark Rutte’s comments about North Korean troops deployment to Russia, and noted that Pyongyang and Moscow signed a joint security pact last June.
But he stopped short on Monday of confirming North Korean soldiers were in Russia.Mr Lavrov alleged that Western military instructors long have been covertly deployed to Ukraine to help its military use long-range weapons provided by Western partners.
BREAKING: North Korea military officials, troops in Russia might go to frontline – report
04:46
Arpan Rai
Some high-ranking North Korean military officials and troops deployed to Russia for the war in Ukraine might move to the frontline, the Yonhap news agency reported today, citing South Korea’s spy agency.
The Pentagon has already said last night that North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and likely fight against Ukraine within “the next several weeks”. The move will intensify the almost three-year war and jolt relations in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the western leaders.
Adding thousands of North Korean soldiers to Europe’s biggest conflict since the second World War will pile more pressure on Ukraine’s weary and overstretched army. It will also stoke geopolitical tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia, Western officials say.
No new limits on Ukraine's use of US arms if North Korea joins Russia's fight, Pentagon says
04:38
Arpan Rai
The US will not enforce any new limits on Ukraine’s use of American weapons if North Korea joins Russia’s war, the Pentagon has said.
On being asked if the US will have limits on what American weapons can be used if it’s a bunch of North Korean soldiers, Pentagon press secretary said: “No... If North Korea – if we see DPRK troops moving in and towards the front lines, I mean, they are co-belligerents in the war. And so, they are fighting on these front lines and the Ukrainians are defending their sovereign territory and pushing the Russians back,” she said.
“...But they would — if they are in combat, you know, they’re fighting the Ukrainians, who are fighting for their sovereign territory. And we’ve made a commitment to Ukraine that we’re going to continue to support them with whatever it takes,” she said.
Ms Singh added that North Korea is sending their soldiers in into a war where Russian casualties and losses are “upwards of 500,000 at this point”.
“That is a calculation that, you know, DPRK leadership is making to send their soldiers into combat,” she said.
Two people injured in Russia’s drone attack on Kyiv, mayor says
04:20
Arpan Rai
Falling debris from a destroyed Russian drone injured two people and set a residential building on fire in Kyiv, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital said today.
One of the people injured by debris in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district was taken to hospital, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel. He said several cars were also on fire.
A Reuters’ witness saw smoke rising over the district’s residential area, which is located in Kyiv’s west. Photos posted by Kyiv’s military administration on its Telegram channel showed a residential building and nearby cars burning in the dark.
The administration said Ukraine’s air defence units were trying to repel a Russian drone attack on the city and that drone debris fell also onto the Sviatoshynskyi district in Kyiv’s west, but there was no immediate reports of damage.
Four people die in Russia’s bombing of Kharkiv, mayor says
04:16
Arpan Rai
At least four people died in Russia’s overnight bombing of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, the mayor of Kharkiv said.
The four were killed after midnight in Russia’s bombardment of Kharkiv’s Osnovianskyi district, mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Full report: Russian forces ‘thwart attempted cross-border assault from Ukraine’
04:00
Andy Gregory
Pentagon says North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia
03:13
Arpan Rai
North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and likely fight against Ukraine within “the next several weeks,” the Pentagon said last night, in a move that Western leaders say will intensify the almost three-year war and jolt relations in the Indo-Pacific region.
Some of the North Korean soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, Pentagon spokeswoman 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.
Earlier yesterday, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte confirmed recent Ukrainian intelligence reports that some North Korean military units were already in the Kursk region.
North Korean deployment represents “a significant escalation” in Pyongyang’s involvement in the conflict and “a dangerous expansion of Russia’s war,” he has said.
Ukraine ‘sabotages railway bridge in Berdyansk', sources claim
03:00
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s military intelligence forces and resistance fighters sabotaged a railway bridge in the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk, a military intelligence source has claimed. to the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 28.
The bridge between the Vodokanal utility company building and a car wash at Skhidnyi Avenue was blown up after several explosions overnight, the source told the Kyiv Independent.
Berdyansk – a port city in the Zaporizhzhia region – has been occupied by Russia from the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Trump presidency ‘would be rocky’ for Nato members, says ex-CIA analyst
02:00
Andy Gregory
A Trump presidency would “be rocky” for Germany, France and other Nato members not spending 2 per cent of their GDP on defence, a former Trump administration official has suggested.
“I think it’s going to be rocky for them, and for Nato members not paying the 2 per cent. It’s a big deal for Trump,” Fred Fleitz, a former CIA analyst, now at the America First Policy Institute Centre for American Security, told the Financial Times.
Trump could look to Minsk-type deal to end Ukraine war, report suggests
01:00
Andy Gregory
If elected US president, Donald Trump could seek to reimagine the Minsk agreements, which aimed to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and 2015 between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists, a longtime adviser has told the Financial Times.
But this time there would be enforcement mechanisms with consequences for breaching the deal, policed by European troops – as opposed to Nato or UN peacekeeping forces, the aide said, adding: “There are two things America will insist on. We will not have any men or women in the enforcement mechanism. We’re not paying for it. Europe is paying for it.”
Watch: Putin avoids denying reports of North Korean troops in Russia
Monday 28 October 2024 23:59
Andy Gregory
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
Monday 28 October 2024 23:01
Andy Gregory
Russian forces are making swift and “significant tactical advances” into the eastern Ukrainian city of Selydove, war monitors have said.
Open source data suggests Russian forces advanced in September at their fastest rate since March 2022, despite Ukraine taking a part of Russia’s Kursk region.
Those rapid advances have continued in the past week as Russian forces appear to be charging towards – or even into – the city of Selydove, which is less than 10 miles south of its main target, the larger city of Pokrovsk, a linchpin of the wider Donetsk region’s defences.
Our foreign affairs reporter Tom Watling reports:
In wartime Ukraine, football fans bury rivalries and find a moment of calm at matches
Monday 28 October 2024 22:01
Andy Gregory
At football games in Ukraine, crowd sizes are determined by the capacity of the nearest bomb shelter.
For the first time since the full-scale war began in 2022, the Ukrainian Premier League is holding a full season with fans present, as martial-law bans on public gatherings have been eased.
Despite the constant threat of airstrikes, Dynamo Kyiv supporters eagerly snap up the 1,700 tickets available for each home game at the 16,000-seat Valeriy Lobanovskyi Stadium. Many fans are keen to experience a rare moment of calm, free from the country’s traditionally intense sporting rivalries.
Norway announces purchase of air defence missiles from US
Monday 28 October 2024 21:02
Andy Gregory
Norway has agreed with US authorities to buy air defence missiles for more than 4 billion Norwegian crowns (£280m), the Norwegian military has said, as it ramps up defence spending in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“With more and newer missiles, the Norwegian Armed Forces will have a better ability to protect Norway against air attacks,” Nato member Norway’s defence minister Bjoern Arild Gram said.
The missiles – which mark one of the largest weapons procurements ever for Norway’s armed forces – are primarily intended for Norway’s ground-based air defence system, but can also be included in the weapons inventory of F-35A fighter aircraft, the agency said.
Full report: UK sanctions Russian disinformation agency
Monday 28 October 2024 20:20
Andy Gregory
A Russian state-backed disinformation agency and three of its senior figures have been sanctioned by the UK over their attempts to destabilise Ukraine, the Foreign Office has said.
Martyn Landi has the full report:
Where does US presidential candidate Kamala Harris stand on Nato and Ukraine?
Monday 28 October 2024 19:41
Andy Gregory
US vice president Kamala Harris has run a presidential campaign on policies intended to appeal to a broad scope of Americans, especially those looking for an alternative to Donald Trump – but America’s allies will also be looking anxiously to Washington in the days to come.
Ms Harris’s position on foreign policy has not deviated far from Joe Biden’s. She has said she is “committed to pursuing global engagement” and defending democratic values at home and abroad.
Here’s what she has said about Nato and Ukraine:
ICYMI: BBC’s Steve Rosenberg confronts Putin on Ukraine war
Monday 28 October 2024 19:00
Andy Gregory
North Korean deployment to Russia ‘would be within international norms’, official insists
Monday 28 October 2024 18:25
Andy Gregory
A North Korean foreign ministry official would not confirm media reports about a troop deployment to Russia, the Reuters news agency reports.
But the official said that, if Pyongyang had taken such action, he believed it would be in line with international norms.
Nato chief claims Russia has suffered 600,000 casualties in Ukraine
Monday 28 October 2024 17:56
Andy Gregory
The allegedly planned deployment of North Korean troops to fight against Ukraine was a sign of Vladimir Putin’s “growing desperation” , Nato chief Mark Rutte has claimed.
“Over 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war and he is unable to sustain his assault on Ukraine without foreign support,” Mr Rutte said.
What has Putin said about North Korean troops in Russia?
Monday 28 October 2024 17:27
Andy Gregory
The Kremlin had initially dismissed reports about a North Korean deployment as “fake news”, after claims by Ukraine and South Korea of the North’s plans to send troops to Russia.
Speaking on Thursday, however, Vladimir Putin did not deny that North Korean troops were in Russia and said it was Moscow’s business how to implement a partnership treaty with Pyongyang.
No new limits on Ukraine’s use of US weapons if North Korea enters war, Pentagon says
Monday 28 October 2024 16:57
Andy Gregory
Ukraine would not see any new restrictions on the use of US weapons against North Korean forces if they engage in Russia’s war, the Pentagon has said, as it alleged that around 10,000 North Korean troops had been deployed to eastern Russia for training.
“A portion of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast near the border with Ukraine,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
While Nato chief Mark Rutte said earlier on Monday that military units from North Korea have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, Ms Singh declined to confirm that North Korean forces were present in Kursk.
“It is likely that they are moving in that direction towards Kursk. But I don’t have more details just yet,” Ms Singh said.
Kremlin denies interference in Georgian elections
Monday 28 October 2024 16:28
Andy Gregory
The Kremlin has denied any Russian interference in the Georgian parliamentary elections, as the country’s pro-Western president Salome Zourabichvili called the result a “Russian special operation” and urged residents to protest.
Georgia’s electoral commission said Georgian Dream – which has governed Georgia for 12 years – won Saturday’s election with nearly 54 per cent of the vote, but Ms Zourabichvili accused the party of resorting to Russian-style tactics and propaganda.
The Kremlin insisted on Monday that it was the West, not Moscow, that was trying to destabilise the situation.
Hungary’s Orban arrives in Georgia amid calls to protest election results
Monday 28 October 2024 15:59
Andy Gregory
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has arrived in Georgia after congratulating the ruling party on its victory in a parliamentary elections, over which the opposition and president have called for street protests.
Georgia’s electoral commission said Georgian Dream won Saturday’s election with nearly 54 per cent of the vote, in a blow for pro-Western Georgians who had cast the vote as a choice between a ruling party that has deepened ties with Russia and an opposition aiming to fast-track integration with Europe.
“The people of Georgia know what is best for their country, and made their voice heard today!” Mr Orban – widely viewed as the EU leader closest to Vladimir Putin – wrote on X.
The EU, US and Nato have called for a full investigation of alleged election irregularities, with president Salome Zourabichvili calling the result a “Russian special operation and accusing Georgian Dream of resorting to Russian-style tactics and propaganda. Georgian Dream and the electoral commission insist the vote was free and fair.
North Korea has sent 10,000 troops to fight in Ukraine ‘within weeks’, Pentagon claims
Monday 28 October 2024 15:31
Andy Gregory
North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine within “the next several weeks,” the Pentagon has said.
Some of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh .
“We are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk” region, she told reporters.
Defence secretary Lloyd Austin has previously warned that, should North Korea’s soldiers be used on the battlefield, they would be considered legitimate targets, and that their use would have serious implications for security in the Indo-Pacific as well.
UK sanctions three Russian agencies over ‘attempts to undermine Ukraine via disinformation’
Monday 28 October 2024 14:54
Andy Gregory
The UK has announced fresh sanctions – including asset freezes and travel bans – on three Russian agencies and three senior figures whom it accused of trying to use disinformation to “undermine and destabilise Ukraine and its democracy”.
The Foreign Office said Russia’s Social Design Agency (SDA) and its partner company Structura had attempted to deliver a series of “interference operations” designed to weaken international support for Ukraine. The third company named was public relations firm ANO DIALOG.
The government also accused the SDA of attempting to incite protests in half a dozen European countries.
The Foreign Office said: “However, despite Russian pouring money into these malign organisations’ interference activities, their lies have consistently struggled online, with bots and fake sites getting limited interaction. This has forced the SDA to consider buying social media views.
“Today’s sanctions send a clear message; we will not tolerate your lies and interference, and we are coming after you,” foreign minister David Lammy said.
Ukrainian minister urges West to lift restrictions on long-range weaponry
Monday 28 October 2024 14:39
Andy Gregory
Following Nato chief Mark Rutte’s confirmation of North Korean troops being deployed to Russia, Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said that Kyiv had been warning about the issue for weeks, yet there had so far no strong response from allies.
“Now Nato Secretary General confirmed this. The bottom line: listen to Ukraine. The solution: lift restrictions on our long-range strikes against Russia now,” Mr Sybiha said on X.
Zelensky arrives in Iceland to discuss ‘victory plan’ for Ukraine war
Monday 28 October 2024 14:20
Andy Gregory
Volodymyr Zelensky has announced his arrival in Iceland to discuss his “victory plan” and hold talks with allies on bilateral cooperation.
“This marks my first working visit to Iceland, where I will participate in the Fourth Ukraine-Nordic Summit and hold bilateral talks,” the Ukrainian president said on X.
Mr Zelensky added that his discussions with the premiers of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden would focus on financing domestic weapons production, long-range capabilities and training for Ukrainian forces, in particular.
Analysis | Putin’s desperate move to throw North Korean troops into Ukraine won’t bring the battlefield gains he thinks
Monday 28 October 2024 13:59
Andy Gregory
The deployment of North Korean troops in Russia to be used in Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a sign of desperation from the Russian president that amounts to no more than a quick-fix for frontline losses that is destined to cause longer-term problems, British former diplomats and analysts have warned.
“It’s a sign of desperation. They had to go to North Korea to bail them out for manpower and ammunition. It shows the weakness in the Russian military industrial complex and that they’re desperate for personnel,” said John Foreman, a British defence attaché to Moscow between 2019 and 2022 who specialised in analysing the Korean peninsula.
“If you want to be a great power, you shouldn’t be kowtowing to North Korea,” he added.
Our foreign affairs reporter Tom Watling has more in this report:
Mapped: Russian advances in eastern Ukraine
Monday 28 October 2024 13:40
Andy Gregory
Zelensky aide warns sanctions not enough to respond to North Korean involvement in war
Monday 28 October 2024 13:22
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s top presidential official has insisted that sanctions will not be a sufficient response to North Korean involvement into Russia’s war in Ukraine and called for weapons supplies.
“North Korean troops are already in the Kursk region ... This is an escalation. Sanctions alone are not enough. We need weapons and a clear plan to prevent North Korea’s expanded involvement in the war in Europe,” Andriy Yermak, president’s chief of staff, said on X.
He said Ukraine’s allies should respond firmly since “the enemy understands strength”.
South Korean president says Northern troops could soon be sent to front lines of Ukraine war
Monday 28 October 2024 13:03
Andy Gregory
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has warned that the actual deployment of North Korean troops to the front lines of the war in Ukraine may come sooner than expected, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Mr Yoon was speaking on a phone call made at the request of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to share information on North Korean troops in Russia, according to Yonhap.
His remarks came after Nato chief Mark Rutte said North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region.
What we know about North Korean troops joining Russia’s war in Ukraine
Monday 28 October 2024 12:46
Andy Gregory
Nato has joined the US, Ukraine and South Korea in confirming reports of North Korea dispatching troops, estimated to be in the thousands, to aid Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Pyongyang has sent around 3,000 troops – including special forces – to Russia’s far east for military training and acclimatising at the bases there, in what could be readiness for combat in the war.
The troops have been supplied with Russian military uniforms, weapons and false identification documents ahead of their deployment for combat, the NIS said.
Georgia’s president calls on West to back protests over election ‘marred by Russian propaganda’
Monday 28 October 2024 12:27
Andy Gregory
Georgia’s president has urged the West to support opposition protests of the official results of parliamentary elections which saw the governing party declared victorious amid voting irregularities and allegations of Russian meddling.
President Salome Zourabichvili, who refused to recognise the official results, told The Associated Press that the South Caucasus nation has fallen victim to Russian pressure aimed at derailing Georgia’s plans to join the European Union.
“We’ve seen that Russian propaganda was directly used,” said Ms Zourabichvili, a fierce critic of the governing Georgian Dream party. She accused the government of “working hand-in-hand with Russia,” and “probably” receiving help from Moscow’s security services.
On Sunday, Zourabichvili stood alongside opposition leaders and urged Georgians to join a rally on the main street of the capital, Tbilisi, on Monday night to protest what she called a “total falsification, a total stealing of your votes”.
The Central Election Commission said the Georgian Dream party received 54.8 per cent of Saturday’s votes with almost all ballots counted. The party, set up by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, has become increasingly authoritarian in the past year.
European Council president Charles Michel has urged Georgian officials to “swiftly, transparently and independently investigate” the electoral irregularities and said Georgian Dream should demonstrate its “firm commitment” to the EU.
Swiss president favours lifting ban on re-export of arms to Ukraine
Monday 28 October 2024 12:10
Andy Gregory
Switzerland’s president has said she is in favour of revising a re-export ban that currently prevents Swiss-made arms from being re-exported from another country to Ukraine.
“Personally, I think we need to make a step forward for our industry,” Viola Amherd, who is also defence minister, told reporters in Bern. “If we have a problem with out armaments industry that means we also have a security problem because it’s important to have technology and know-how.”
Swiss weapons sales have already fallen, with critics blaming the country’s neutral stance.
North Korean troops in Kursk ‘a dangerous expansion of Russia’s war’, says Nato chief
Monday 28 October 2024 11:55
Andy Gregory
Nato chief Mark Rutte has warned that the deployment of troops to Russia’s embattled Kursk region represents “a significant escalation” in North Korea’s involvement in the conflict – and marks “a dangerous expansion of Russia’s war”.
Mr Rutte confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops after a high-level South Korean delegation –including top intelligence and military officials, as well as senior diplomats – briefed the alliance’s 32 national ambassadors at Nato’s headquarters in Brussels.
Nato is “actively consulting within the alliance, with Ukraine, and with our Indo-Pacific partners” on developments, Mr Rutte said, adding that he is due to talk soon with South Korea’s president and Ukraine’s defence minister.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely,” he said.
North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, Nato chief says
Monday 28 October 2024 11:15
Andy Gregory
Nato’s new chief Mark Rutte has warned that North Korean military units have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, parts of which are occupied by Ukraine following their incursion nearly three months ago.
“The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security,” Mr Rutte told reporters after Nato officials and diplomats received a briefing from a South Korean delegation.
India’s Modi ‘can influence the end of Ukraine war’, says Zelensky
Monday 28 October 2024 10:55
Andy Gregory
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi could be a key broker in the end of the war in Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested.
Speaking to the Times of India, two months after Mr Modi visited Kyiv and vowed to be “a friend” to Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said: “Modi is the prime minister of a really huge country from the perspective of population, economy, influence and impact.”
“Modi can influence the end of the Ukraine war. This is the huge value of him in any conflict, this is the huge value of India,” he added.
Ukrainians in two regions without power after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure
Monday 28 October 2024 10:39
Andy Gregory
Parts of two Ukrainian regions have been left without power after Russian air strikes damaged local infrastructure, energy officials said.
National grid operator Ukrenergo said it was forced to implement emergency cuts in parts of the northeastern Sumy and central Poltava regions following overnight attacks by Russian forces.
Kyiv’s air force said it had destroyed 66 out of 100 drones launched by Russia, and that another 24 were “locationally lost”, but that “several” had struck civilian infrastructure. It offered no further details of damages.
Russia claims to seize village near Pokrovsk
Monday 28 October 2024 09:50
Andy Gregory
Russia’s defence ministry claims its forces have taken control of the village of Tsukuryne in the Pokrovsk district of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the RIA news agency reports.
It was not possible to verify the claims, however Russia has often claimed control of Ukrainian villages despite being yet to have actually done so.
Five children among at least 21 people injured in Russian attacks on Kharkiv
Monday 28 October 2024 09:33
Andy Gregory
At least 21 people including five children have been injured by Russian bombing in Kharkiv and the surrounding region, Ukrainian officials said.
Thirteen people were wounded in separate attacks on an apartment building and storage space in Kharkiv and another eight in the city of Chuhuiv just to the southeast, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Regional prosecutors accused Russia of striking Kharkiv with guided bombs and Chuhuiv from a multiple rocket-launch system.
Two people were also killed in Kherson late on Sunday after Russian forces shelled the centre of the front-line city, regional officials said.
Russia fires 100 drones at Ukraine in overnight attack, Kyiv says
Monday 28 October 2024 09:18