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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.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin later said there is evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia but it remained to be seen what they would be doing there.
He said it would “very, very serious” if they are preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Kyiv has alleged.
Meanwhile, Russian air defences destroyed 14 Ukrainian air drones overnight, including 10 drones over the Crimean Peninsula, the defence ministry has claimed, as Vladimir Putin welcomed two dozen world leaders to Kazan for the Brics summit.
Russia said it also destroyed four unmanned boats in the Black Sea heading towards the Peninsula.
North Korea sent 3,000 troops to Russia for Ukraine war, says South
Tom Watling23 October 2024 15:01
Britain and Germany sign new defence agreement as Ukraine tensions rise
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.
Tom Watling23 October 2024 14:29
EU urges BRICS countries to tell Putin to end Ukraine war
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.
Tom Watling23 October 2024 13:30
Germany summons North Korean charge d’affaires over support for Russia
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.
Tom Watling23 October 2024 12:58
In pictures: Injured Ukrainian soldiers receive treatment in Lviv
Tom Watling23 October 2024 12:31
South Korea may supply arms to Ukraine after ‘North troops in Russia’
Tom Watling23 October 2024 11:58
Russian forces capture two villages in eastern Ukraine, state media reports
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.
Tom Watling23 October 2024 11:29
North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for Ukraine war, South Korean lawmakers say
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.
Tom Watling23 October 2024 11:03
Russia attacked at least four merchant vessels this month, says defence intelligence
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.
Tom Watling23 October 2024 10:42