China said on October 24 that it was “not aware” of any North Korean soldiers in Russia preparing to join Moscow’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, made the statement in spite of the fact that the U.S.A., Seoul and Kyiv have all confirmed their presence over the past few days.
Jin responded that “the Chinese side does not know about the situation” when asked by a reporter at a daily briefing whether China had seen any evidence of North Korean troops in Russia.
“China’s stance on the Ukrainian crisis is consistent and clear. We hope that all parties will encourage a de-escalation and commit themselves to a solution through a political process,” the spokesperson said, as reported by Reuters.
After reports from Ukraine and South Korea, the U.S. confirmed for the first time on October 23 that it had evidence that Pyongyang soldiers were being sent to Russia.
Later that day, U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman John Kirby said that North Korean troops fighting for Russia against Ukraine in support of Russia are “fair game.”
Kirby said at a White House press briefing that if they did deploy to fight against Ukraine they would be fair game and fair targets. The Ukrainian military would defend itself against North Korean soldiers in the same way it defends itself against Russian soldiers.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Russian president, said on October 22 that two brigades of North Koreans with up to 6,000 soldiers each are currently being trained in Russia.
He said that military intelligence indicates that some North Korean officers have already entered the occupied territories in Ukraine.
North Korea has denied these reports, and a Kremlin spokeswoman gave a vague answer.
A military intelligence source informed the Kyiv independent on October 21 that Russian authorities had detained 18 North Korean troops who abandoned their positions within the Kursk Oblast. Video footage purporting show North Korean soldiers at a Russian training camp has also been circulated.
South Korean media reported Oct. 22 Pyongyang had dispatched pilots capable of flying Russian warplanes in order to join the conflict in Ukraine.
Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, also reported that South Korea was considering sending personnel to Ukraine in order to monitor North Korean troops.
The General Staff announced on October 24 that Ukrainian military, lawmakers and experts discussed creating a separate branch within Ukraine’s Armed Forces to be dedicated to cyberspace activities.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, made the statement in spite of the fact that the U.S.A., Seoul and Kyiv have all confirmed their presence over the past few days.
Michael R. Turner is a long-serving Republican Party member and his comments are by far the strongest from any U.S. politician.
The Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 40 of 50 Shahed drones and unidentified drones launched overnight by Russia. The Air Force reported that seven more drones had been “lost” and two others were flying toward Russia and Belarus.
During the full-scale invasion there were many reports of Russian soldiers executing Ukrainian POWs, but the number of such incidents has increased dramatically in the last year.
Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator, said in an interview to BBC that he knew Putin’s character and knew he would never try to convince another country to send its army to… Ukraine.
Politico reported that anonymous officials said that Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, and other countries are reluctant to invite Ukraine to join NATO.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, also revealed details about U.S. intelligence assessment. Washington believes that North Korea “moved a minimum of 3000 soldiers into Eastern Russia.”
This includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
On Oct. 21, the Basmanny district of Moscow sentenced Ukrainian filmmaker Alexander Rodnyansky to 8 and half years in absence for “spreading false information” about Russian Army.
German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported that German Finance Minister Christian Lindner proposed a reevaluation of the legal status for Ukrainian refugees.
“Kremniy EL”, one of the largest microelectronics factories in Russia, produces components that are widely used in Russian defence production. These include Pantsir air-defense systems and Iskander rocket systems.
Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Foreign Ministry, wrote to cabinet ministers in a letter dated Oct. 23, warning that the European Union had informed Ukraine that the next tranche (4 billion euros) of the EU‘s Ukraine Facility could be delayed until the following year if the expected aspects of the corruption reforms were not completed by the end this month.
Ukrainska Pravda, citing the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, reported on October 23 that Roman Hladkyi was dismissed just months after he was appointed to his controversial position in August 2024.
Belarus’ Central Electoral Commission, which announced the date on October 23, has set its next presidential elections for January 26, 2025. The incumbent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who is currently in power, is widely expected to remain in power following the results of the election.
Daleep Singh is the White House’s deputy national security advisor for international economics. He said that Joe Biden intends to divide the funds between helping Ukraine’s economy and its military.
The statement read: “The next step will be advanced fast jet training with partner nations and conversion to F-16.”
“The situation in Toretsk is relatively stable.” “We (Ukrainian Forces) are now holding our line unchanged,” Anastasiia Bobbyvnikova, spokesperson for the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk said.
Park Sun-won is a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee. He said that signs of troops being trained in North Korea had been detected between September and October.
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