Ukraine-Russia live: Zelensky expects Putin to deploy North Korean troops on the frontline as soon as weekend
12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers, already in Russia, Ukraine military intelligence says
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
North Korean troops will be deployed into Ukraine to fight with Russian forces as early as this weekend, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Friday
This would be a major escalation in the war with geopolitical consequences now reaching the Indo-Pacific region, western officials warned, as the grinding conflict approaches three years.
Ukrainian intelligence had determined that “the first North Korean military will be used by Russia in combat zones” between Sunday and Monday, Zelensky said. He added that it was an “obvious escalating move by Russia”, but provided no further details on where North Korean troops might be sent.
Vladimir Putin has not denied the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine as he wrapped up the Brics summit in Kazan, heavily overshadowed by Ukraine war talks.
“Images are a serious thing, if there are images, then they reflect something,” Mr Putin said on being asked about satellite photos of North Korean troops.
The US on Wednesday said that 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations.
Putin ends Brics summit overshadowed by Ukraine
Vladimir Putin closed a summit of the Brics bloc of developing economies last night, praising its role as a counterbalance to what he called the West’s “perverse methods.”
The three-day summit in the city of Kazan was attended by leaders or representatives of 36 countries, highlighting the failure of US-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
The conflict came up repeatedly at the meeting, which saw the first visit to Russia from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in more than two years and drew an angry reaction from Kyiv.
Mr Guterres called for “a just peace” in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions. He also urged an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan.
At a news conference last night, Mr Putin was asked about former US president Donald Trump’s promise to end the fighting in Ukraine.
“What Mr Trump said recently, what I heard, (is) he spoke about the desire to do everything to end the conflict in Ukraine,” Mr Putin said. “It seems to me that he said it sincerely. We certainly welcome statements of this kind, no matter who makes them.”
G7 allies are moving ahead with a $50 billion loan for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian funds
G7 allies are moving ahead with a $50 billion loan for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian funds
The White House says Group of Seven allies are moving forward with providing Ukraine with $50 billion in loans for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets
Russian attacks kill six in Ukraine's east
Russian attacks on eastern Ukraine killed at least six people and wounded 10 yesterday, regional authorities said.
A thermobaric ammunition attack on the town of Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region wounded 10 people, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said. A woman who was admitted to hospital in a serious condition after the attack later died, he said.
“The enemy struck near a shop and the town market,” Mr Syniehubov said in an initial statement.
He later added that a two-storey retail building had been damaged, along with a dozen kiosks and windows of nearby homes. Russia occupied Kupiansk in the early days of its 2022 invasion but was pushed out by a lightning Ukrainian counter-offensive in September that year.
In recent months, Moscow’s forces have been advancing slowly back towards the town and are now less than 4km (2.5 miles) from its northern outskirts, according to open-source maps.
Russian shelling later in the day killed three people around the strategic hub of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region, governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram.
Mr Filashkin said later on Facebook that a Russian strike on a branch of the Nova Poshta delivery service killed two people in Oleksiyevo-Druzhkiva, near the frontline towns of Chasiv Yar and Kostyantynivka.
Russian troops have been stepping up their advance towards Pokrovsk in recent months, moving as close as 8km from its outskirts.
Russian lawmakers ratify pact with North Korea as US confirms that Pyongyang sent troops to Russia
Russian lawmakers ratify pact with North Korea as US confirms that Pyongyang sent troops to Russia
Russian lawmakers have ratified a pact with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance, a move that comes even as the U.S. confirmed the deployment of 3,000 North Korean troops to Russia
A thread on North Korea’s deployment of soldiers to Russia
Zelensky taunts Putin by wearing ‘make russia small again’ T-shirt
Zelensky taunts Putin by wearing ‘make russia small again’ T-shirt in video address
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky taunted Vladimir Putin by wearing a “make russia small again” T-shirt during a video address to the nation. Mr Zelensky gave a video briefing on America’s $20 billion support provision on X, formerly Twitter on Wednesday evening (23 October). Mr Zelensky said: “This assistance will truly support us, and it is important that it be implemented this year. I am grateful to the United States and to the entire G7.” Viewers were quick to notice the president’s black T-shirt with the red and white slogan. The Russian Foreign Ministry responded promptly. “Small as what? The USSR? The Russian Empire?” the department’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on X.
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
Ukraine’s military say the hottest fighting along the roughly 640-mile frontline is taking place on the outskirts of the eastern city of Selydove
US says North Korean troops ‘fair game’ if sent to fight in Ukraine
US says North Korean troops ‘fair game’ if deployed to fight in Ukraine
White House spokesperson John Kirby says North Korean troops were transported to Russia by ship
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments