Key developments for October 27:
Military intelligence reports that Russia is transporting North Korean troops in civilian trucks to the front lines.
Selydove: 2 Russian soldiers suspected of killing and injuring a civilian
* Russia’s Levadne victory was a partial one, but Ukraine’s military claims that it is dominant.
Fire reported at oil facility, Russia claims downing of 51 Ukrainian drones
Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported that Russia transports North Korean soldiers into the frontlines via trucks with civilian plates.
The announcement comes after reports from U.S. officials and Ukrainian officials that a North Korean contingent is heading to Russia’s Kursk Oblast in order to help Moscow counter Ukraine’s offensive there.
HUR reported that Russian police officers stopped a Kamaz truck on the Kursk-Voronezh Highway on October 27. The truck had civilian license plates, HUR stated via its official Telegram channel. The vehicle was reported to be loaded with North Korean soldiers, but the driver lacked combat orders.
According to audio published by HUR, in an intercepted radio conversation, officers of Russia’s Separate Marine Brigade 810th are trying to solve the problem of a stopped truck. The unit expected to receive reinforcements from North Korea via the Kamaz truck.
The audio recording shows the officers discussing the reason the truck was stopped along the highway between Kursk and Voronezh, as well as why the driver did not have proper documentation.
HUR’s report indicates North Korean troops are on the way to Russian units. This is in line with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement on October 25 that Russia plans to send its first North Korean soldiers into a combat zone between Oct. 27 and 28.
In recent days, both Russia and North Korea have changed their language from denial to justification.
On Oct. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin indirectly acknowledged the presence in Russia of North Korean soldiers, responding to claims about satellite imagery by saying “if there are any images, they reflect some thing” and citing Pyongyang’s defense treaty.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry said on October 25 that any decision made to send troops to Russia will comply with international law.
Estimates of the number sent to the Ukraine/Russia frontline have varied. U.S. officials had estimated that around 3,000 North Korean soldiers were training in Russia. However, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the total number could be higher.
South Korean intelligence informed lawmakers that the number of North Korean troops in Russia could reach 10,000 before December. Kyiv said Pyongyang had sent 12,000 soldiers to Russia, including 500 officer and three generals.
Selydove: 2 Russian soldiers are suspected of killing and injuring a civilian
The regional prosecutor’s said that on October 27, Russian soldiers in Selydove, a town in Donetsk Oblast, opened fire on civilians at least twice, killing two women and injuring another.
Selydove, a settlement 18 kilometers (11 mi) southeast of Ukraine’s main logistics hub Pokrovsk, is the scene of heavy battles.
Ukrainian prosecutors launched a war crimes investigation after footage and reports were shared on social media accusing Russian soldiers of shooting and killing the residents of the town.
A video purports that it shows Russian soldiers firing on a civilian vehicle in a populated neighborhood on October 24. The prosecutor’s office reported that a resident was injured, and Ukrainian soldiers responded to the scene.
In a separate incident two women were reportedly murdered by Russian soldiers. The bodies were found in a residential area that was not severely affected by hostilities, and likely already under Russian Control, the prosecutors stated, citing media and open sources.
The statement stated that an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances and perpetrators.
Kyiv accuses Russia of committing more than 137,000 war crimes as part of its aggression in Ukraine. Numerous reports have been made of the murder and torture committed by Russian soldiers and Ukrainian prisoners of War as Moscow continues to wage a full-scale war on Ukraine and holds about one-fifth.
The Ukrainian military claims that Russia achieved a partial victory at Levadne, but Ukraine still holds the dominant heights.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces, said on air that Ukrainian forces are still holding all the dominant heights in Zaporizhzhia oblast near Levadne and are trying to restore their positions.
The spokesperson made this statement in response to a recent report from the Ukrainian monitoring service DeepState which claimed that Russian troops had captured the settlement.
The Ukrainian military warned Russia that it is intensifying its operations in the southern Zaporizhzhia oblast, while continuing its offensive in the Donbas region of Ukraine’s east.
Voloshyn stated that he would not refer to Levadne as a settlement, but rather a “point in an empty field” situated in a lowland which makes it difficult for defenders.
The spokesperson acknowledged that Russian troops have concentrated great efforts in this sector, achieving a “partial victory” and driving a wedge between Ukrainian defenses. He did not confirm whether Levadne as a whole was captured.
Voloshyn claims that Russia has intensified operations in the area since capturing Vuhledar, a town in the Donetsk Oblast at the start of October.
Levadne lies near the administrative border of Zaporizhzhia oblast and Donetsk, approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles), west of Vuhledar, and around 100 kilometers (60miles), east of the city Zaporizhzhia.
Fire reported at oil facility, Russia claims downing of 51 Ukrainian drones
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that 51 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight on October 27, 18 of which were intercepted in western Tambov Oblast.
Maxim Egorov, the Governor of the region, claimed that drones had struck the Michurinsky District at around 0 :40 am local time and caused a fire, which was quickly put out.
Astra Telegram reported that the fire broke at the Transneft Druzhba Control Station in the village of Novonikolskoye.
The Kyiv Independent was unable to verify the claims.
Transneft Druzhba, a subsidiary of Transneft, the largest state-controlled oil company in Russia. It operates the Druzhba Pipeline, built to funnel Russian Oil to European Countries via Belarus and Ukraine.
The Michurinsky Oil Refinery can also be found in the village of Novonikolskoye.
Ukraine has launched long-range drone attacks into Russian territory. These often target oil refineries and depots in order to disrupt fuel supplies for the Russian military. This is crucial to funding the war.
Russia also claimed that its forces had shot down 16 drones in Belgorod Oblast. Four drones each were shot down over Bryansk Lipetsk and Oryol Oblasts. Three drones were shot down over Voronezh Oblast and one was fired over Kursk Oblast. Other Ukrainian drones are said to have been shot down over Azov sea.
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