Ukraine war briefing: North Korean soldiers fighting in Russian elite units

Some of 10,900 North Korean troops sent to Kursk have been fighting in elite Russian airborne and marine units against Ukraine, according to a lawmaker on the intelligence committee of the South Korean parliament. Park Sun-won, citing the South’s spy agency, said North Korea had also shipped additional arms for the war in Ukraine, including self-propelled howitzers and multiple rocket launchers.

Park added that the North Korean foreign minister Choe Son Hui’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow this month was unusual in terms of protocol, and likely went beyond exchanging greetings, to cover more significant issues including a possible visit to Russia by Kim Jong-un. The spy agency was still trying to determine the exact number of North Korean troop casualties and whether any had surrendered amid conflicting information, Park said.

The US said its embassy in Kyiv would be closed on Wednesday because of a potential significant air attack. “Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place,” the consular service said in a statement published on the embassy website. “The US embassy recommends US citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced.”

Earlier, the US called on Russia to stop its “bellicose” and “irresponsible rhetoric” after Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, formally lowered the threshold for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons. It followed Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike targets inside Russian territory with US-supplied longer-range weapons. The US had not seen any reason to adjust its nuclear posture, Washington officials said. The US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said he was “not surprised” by comments from the Kremlin over the new revised nuclear doctrine.

The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, said: “There’s irresponsible rhetoric coming from Russia, and that is not going to deter our support for Ukraine.” Issuing a direct message to the Russian president from the G20 summit in Brazil, Starmer added: “On day 1,000 of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, I say again: ‘End the war. Get out of Ukraine’.”

Ukraine’s western allies criticised the final G20 communique as inadequate for failing to highlight Russia’s invasion of its neighbour in 2022 as the conflict entered its 1,000th day, Jessica Elgot and Leyland Cecco write. It was significantly weaker than that of the previous year, only highlighting humanitarian suffering in Ukraine and the importance of territorial integrity. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accused the G20 of failing to form a “strong strategy”: “Today, G20 countries are sitting in Brazil. Did they say something? Nothing.” Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor – recently criticised for making a phone call to Vladimir Putin – said: “It is too little when the G20 cannot find the words to make it clear Russia is responsible.”

Ukraine fired US-made long-range missiles into Russia for the first time since the Biden administration lifted restrictions on their use, Pjotr Sauer writes. The target appeared to be an ammunition warehouse. Ukraine’s general staff said it hit a military arsenal of the 1046th logistics centre outside the city of Karachev without confirming the use of the missiles. Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine launched six US-made Atacms missiles targeting the south-western Bryansk region. Zelenskyy did not directly confirm the missile attack targeting Bryansk but said: “We now have Atacms, Ukrainian long-range capabilities, and we will use them.”

Joe Biden has approved the provision of anti-personnel landmines to Ukraine, a US official told Reuters on Tuesday. The US expected Ukraine to use the mines in its own territory, though it had committed not to use them in areas populated with its own civilians, the official said. The Washington Post first reported the development. The US mines differ from Russia’s as they are “non-persistent”, and become inert after a preset period, the official said. They require a battery to detonate and will not explode once the battery runs out.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, marked the “grim” milestone of 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by saying that it has been “1,000 days too many of senseless pain and suffering.” A statement by Türk’s spokesperson on Tuesday said the OHCHR has verified that at least 12,162 civilians have been killed since 24 February 2022, among them 659 children. At least another 26,919 civilians have been injured, it said.

Zelenskyy said it was time for Germany to support Ukraine’s longer-range strike capabilities against Russia. “I think after statements about nuclear weapons, it is also time for Germany to support corresponding decisions,” the Ukrainian leader said during a briefing in Kyiv with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen. German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who held an hour-long call with Putin last week, has been hesitant to provide long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, fuelling frustration in Kyiv.

Russia claimed its air defence units destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones in at least eight southern and central regions on Tuesday evening, including 32 in Bryansk region on the border and two in the Moscow regions. In the Belgorod region, opposite north-eastern Ukraine, the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said an industrial plant, infrastructure sites and power lines were damaged in the town of Alekseyevka. Video posted on both Russian and Ukrainian military blogs showed explosions and a fire breaking out in Alekseyevka. One Ukrainian site posted a video of blasts in Voronezh region. Russian officials routinely make unconfirmed claims that most or all drones were shot down, and that any damage was caused by falling debris.

Denmark is making a new donation of about €130m for development of Ukraine’s arms industry, the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has announced. “And make no mistake, our support is long-term.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Denmark had created a “special model” to bring in investments from other countries. “All the Nordic nations have already joined, more than one billion dollars have been invested by partners into our industries,” he said, adding that the programme extended to drones, missiles and artillery production. Denmark is among the biggest contributors of military aid to Ukraine, relative to the size of its economy.

The US state department has approved the potential $100m sale of military equipment and services to Ukraine, the Pentagon said in a statement on Tuesday. Kyiv wants equipment and services for refurbishment of vehicles, technical assistance, training, publications and other related elements of logistics and program support, it said.