Friday, October 25
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Local resident Volodymyr, 57, looks around his damaged flat in a residential building heavily damaged following a recent air strike, in the town of Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, on Oct. 24, 2024. (Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty Images)
First North Korean troops deployed to front line in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s military intelligence says. The first North Korean soldiers to participate alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine have been deployed to the front line in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported on Oct. 24.
South Korea could ‘review’ ban on supply of lethal arms to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk Yeol says. South Korean law prohibits the exporting of weapons to active conflict zones, but Seoul has repeatedly hinted that this could change in light of deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Ukraine cannot join NATO while at war, Scholz says. Speaking to German public broadcaster ZDF on Oct. 24, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed Kyiv’s appeals for an immediate invitation to join NATO, stating that “a country at war absolutely cannot become a member of NATO.”
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Russian forces trying to build crossings near Oskil River to advance on Kupiansk, military sources say. Russian troops are attempting to establish crossings near the Oskil River to advance toward the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, according to Ruslan Muzychuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s National Guard, who spoke on national television on Oct. 24.
At least 7 countries resisting Ukraine’s NATO membership invitation, Politico reports. Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain are among the countries that are reluctant to grant Ukraine an invitation to join NATO, Politico reported on Oct. 23, citing anonymous officials.
Cargo plane shot down in Sudan with suspected Russian crew may have been supplying weapons, Reuters reports. The aircraft was identified as an Il-74 transport plane that was used to supply weapons, ammunition and provisions to the city of Al Fashir in Sudan, where the Sudanese army is trying to repel RSF’s attacks, an RSF source told Reuters.
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Ukraine war latest: First North Korean troops arrive in Kursk Oblast to participate in Russia’s war against Ukraine
The first North Korean soldiers to participate alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine have been deployed to the front line in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported on Oct. 24.
Photo: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
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Ukraine knows how to strike deep inside Russia, it just needs the money to do so
After months of Ukraine’s pleas for permission to strike deep into Russia with Western weaponry, allies appear to have shifted their focus to helping Ukraine develop its long-range striking capabilities.
Photo: Presidential Office of Ukraine
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Why did Ukraine’s prosecutor general resign, and who will replace him?
The formal reason for Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin’s resignation on Oct. 22 was the ongoing major corruption scandal involving hundreds of prosecutors.
Image: Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
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Meet the Ukrainian prisoner soldiers entering the fray in the Battle of Donbas
Volunteering to fight amid serious manpower shortages in the Ukrainian military, the country’s ex-convict soldiers are ready to show their worth in battle.
Photo: Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent
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Human cost of war
4 Ukrainian POWs killed by Russian forces near Selydove, Prosecutor General’s Office reports. There have been multiple reports of the executions of Ukrainian POWs by Russian soldiers during the full-scale invasion, but they have increased dramatically over the last year.
Russian attack on Kupiansk kills elderly woman, injures at least 11. Eight women and three men were injured. A 73-year-old woman died as a result of severe injuries, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Opinions and insights
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Opinion: Canceled Ramstein meeting marks a missed opportunity for Europe to lead on Ukraine
The cancellation of the Ramstein conference reveals Europe’s inability to seize a critical opportunity to assert leadership in supporting Ukraine.
Photo: Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images
International response
North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine for Russia would be ‘fair game,’ White House says. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also revealed details of U.S. intelligence assessments, saying Washington believes North Korea “moved at least 3000 soldiers into eastern Russia.”
Lukashenko dismisses North Korean troop reports, says it would ‘escalate’ Russia’s war in Ukraine. “Knowing his character Putin would never try to persuade another country to involve its army in… Ukraine,,” Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with BBC.
US should consider ‘direct military action’ if North Korean troops enter Ukraine, Intel Committee Chair says. The comments from Michael R. Turner, a long-serving member of the Republican party, are the strongest by far from a U.S. politician on the matter.
China ‘not aware’ of North Korean troops in Russia preparing to fight in Ukraine. Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian made the statement despite the U.S., Seoul and Kyiv all confirming their presence in recent days.
US urges G7 to consider sanctions on Russian palladium, titanium, Bloomberg says. Officials from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration raised the possibility of these sanctions during a G7 deputy finance ministers meeting on Oct. 22 in Washington, D.C.
Ukraine’s immediate accession to NATO ‘not realistic,’ Slovak president says following meeting with Scholz. “We agreed with the Chancellor that today the issue of Ukraine’s accession is not on the table, and it cannot come to the table,” Pellegrini said.
Uzbekistan refuses to join Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin arrived in Tashkent in August to hold talks with Uzbek officials about potentially joining the EAEU, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the new “center of a multipolar world.”
In other news
Ukrainian military considering creation of new cyber army branch. Ukrainian military, lawmakers, and experts discussed the creation of a separate branch of Ukraine’s Armed Forces dedicated to cyberspace operations, the General Staff said on Oct. 24.
Auchan in final negotiations with local buyer to exit Russian market, media reports. Auchan, one of the few French chains still operating in Russia, is in final negotiations to sell its Russian subsidiary to a local buyer, French media La Lettre reported on Oct. 24.
Zelensky won’t sign bill to end daylight saving time, media says. Parliament passed the bill on July 16, which aimed to cancel daylight saving time in Ukraine. This means that Ukrainians would set their clocks back one hour for the last time on Oct. 27, 2024, and will not revert back to summer time next spring.
Moscow funneled $39 million into Moldova ahead of presidential election in attempt to influence results, Moldovan authorities say. Moscow funneled a total of $39 million in a scheme led by a pro-Russian oligarch aimed at influencing election results by paying ordinary citizens to vote against closer ties with the West, the country’s national police chief said on Oct. 24.
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