Key developments for November 5:
* Umerov confirms the first battles between Ukrainian soldiers and North Korean soldiers at Kursk Oblast
* Ukrainian Legion in Poland receives 500+ applications per month
* G7 foreign ministers warn that a coordinated response will be taken against North Korea’s military involvement in the war in Russia
* Polish deputy PM claims that Zelensky wants to drag Poland into a war with Russia
In an interview with South Korean television channel KBS, Ukraine’s defense minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that the first clashes between Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers and North Korean soldiers had already taken place in Russia’s Kursk Oblast on November 5, 2005.
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, said the day before that North Korea had deployed 11,000 troops to the Kursk Oblast. He cited a Ukrainian intelligence report.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, also claimed on Nov. 4 that the first North Korean soldiers stationed in this area have come under fire.
Umerov said, “We are identifying conflicts with North Korean forces. But we believe that there will be more combat in the coming weeks. We will continue to analyse and revise our analysis accordingly.”
According to Umerov, the clashes were not large-scale.
The minister said that the DPRK troops were “disguised” as Buryats (an Asian ethnic group within Russia’s borders), and mixed with Russian soldiers. All identities must be checked to confirm their exact losses and prisoners.
Kyiv expects to deploy five units of 3,000 each along the front line of 1,500 kilometers. This will bring the number of North Koreans in the war up to 15,000
Since Ukraine launched its cross-border offensive at the beginning of August, the Russian border region has been a scene of heavy fighting. Moscow has sent North Korean troops to Kursk Oblast in order to reinforce the lines there, while its most experienced units are advancing in Ukraine’s east.
The President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, if Ukraine was granted permission to use Western long range weapons on Russian soil, it could target “every camp” where North Korean troops were gathering in Russia.
According to Zelensky’s report, Russia has confirmed the West that Pyongyang forces are involved in the war.
The Ukrainian Legion in Poland receives more than 500 applications per month
Ukrinform reported that the recruitment center for the Ukrainian Legion in Poland had received more than 500 applications from Ukrainians in 30 different countries in just one month, citing officials at the center.
The Legion was revealed in July as a volunteer unit of Ukrainian men who live in Poland, and are trained by the Polish Armed Forces. The first volunteer recruitment centre was opened at the Ukrainian Consulate in Lublin, a city in eastern Poland.
The unit is part a larger effort to replenish the ranks in the Ukrainian military, as the war with Russia has lasted for more than two and a half years.
Ukrinform reported that the majority of applications came from Poland, Czechia and the U.K. However, Ukrainians in the U.S.A., Canada, Ireland and the U.K. also submitted requests. The center’s officials are aware that not all applicants may end up signing a deal, but they consider the outcome to be a positive first result.
The legion allows Ukrainians to serve in the war and return to Poland once they have completed their service. Under the martial law that was instituted in 2022, after the start of a full-scale conflict, Ukrainian men between 18-60 years old are not allowed to leave Ukraine.
The U.N. estimates 6.7 million Ukrainians have been forced abroad by Russia’s invasion. This is on top of a large diaspora that has been living in Europe, Canada, the U.S. and other countries since before 2022.
The first volunteers will sign a contract by the end of this year and start training on Polish training grounds. Ukrinform reported that around 90% of the applicants were male and about 80% did not have any previous military experience.
G7 foreign ministers warn that any military involvement by North Korea in the war with Russia will be met with a ‘coordinated’ response.
According to a joint statement released on November 5, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (7 G7) and three key ally countries have expressed “grave concern” over the North Korean military deployment in Russia. They are also working on a coordinated response.
The statement was signed by South Korea as well as Australia and New Zealand.
“Several thousand DPRK soldiers have been deployed in Russia.” The DPRK’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine would not only show Russia’s desperate attempts to compensate for its losses but also mark a dangerous extension of the conflict with serious consequences for European peace and security and Indo-Pacific,” read the statement.
“It would constitute a further violation of international law and the fundamental principles of U.N. Charter.” Charter.”
According to a joint statement released on November 5, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (7 G7) and three key ally countries have expressed “grave concern” over the North Korean military deployment in Russia. They are also working on a coordinated response.
The statement was signed by South Korea as well as Australia and New Zealand.
“Several thousand DPRK soldiers have been deployed in Russia.” The DPRK’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine would not only show Russia’s desperate attempts to compensate for its losses but also mark a dangerous extension of the conflict with serious consequences for European peace and security and Indo-Pacific,” read the statement.
“It would constitute a further violation of international law and the fundamental principles of U.N. Charter.” Charter.”
The Polish deputy PM claims that Zelensky wants to drag Poland and Russia into war.
In an interview with Radio ZET, Krzysztof Gawakowski, the Polish Deputy Premier, said that President Volodymyr Zelensky was trying to involve Warsaw in the conflict by asking Poland to shoot Russian missiles above Ukraine.
Gawkowski made his comments amid a growing diplomatic spat involving Kyiv and Warsaw. The dispute revolves around Poland’s support for Ukraine, as well as historic grievances.
“Zelensky wants Poland shoot missiles over Ukraine. This means he is wanting Poland to enter war. This means he is wanting Poland to be at War with Russia,” said Gawkowski. Gawkowski also serves as minister of digital affairs for the co-governing Left Coalition.
Zelensky’s statements are intended to drag Poland into a war with Russia.
Zelensky recently criticised Poland for not delivering its remaining MiG-29 jet fighters despite previous agreement.
The president said that he “constantly requested” Poland to shoot down Russian rockets flying in their direction, especially to protect the gas-storage facility in Stryi, a town in Ukraine’s Lviv Oblast located about 100 kilometers (62miles) east of the Ukrainian border.
The Polish military has never intercepted Russian missiles or drones that have entered Poland’s skies during an attack on Ukraine. Warsaw reports that Poland’s allies have advised the government to be cautious when dealing with unidentified violations of airspace.
Gawkowski’s reaction was: “I feel the last words of President Zelensky were unworthy of a political figure who owes Poland much,”
“The equipment that was sent, the citizens that were cared for… Poland is a great ally of Ukraine, and a transport hub. In such situations, it seemed to me you would say “thank you.”
Poland has been a vocal advocate of Ukraine on the international stage, urging Kyiv to get all the weapons it needs to win the war Russia started. Poland has also provided Ukraine around $3.5 billion worth of military aid since 2022, and hosts close 1 million Ukrainian refugees.
But bilateral relations between the two countries are far from perfect. Both countries have long-standing unresolved issues. Some of the recent disputes have been centered on the resolution of the Volyn Massacre, which was committed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in 1943-44 against Poles.
Gawkowski wasn’t the only Polish official who responded to Zelensky’s criticism. Radoslaw Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish Foreign Minister, said that his country had done more for Kyiv than any other nation.
“We are trying to help but we are also a frontline country.” “Russia also threatens us and not everything is feasible,” he said.
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