U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on October 30 that North Korean troops equipped with Russian uniforms are en route to the Russia-Ukraine Border. The announcement was made during a press conference held jointly with South Korean Defense minister Kim Yong-Hyun.
North Korea has sent troops into Russia to take part in its war with Ukraine. Estimates vary on the number of soldiers. The Financial Times reported that on October 29, 3,000 North Korean troops were living in Kursk Oblast, only 50 kilometers (30miles) from the Russia/Ukraine border.
Austin, at the Pentagon briefing, said that the evidence suggests that North Korea sent 10,000 soldiers to eastern Russia for training.
“We are seeing some of these DPRK soldiers outfitted in Russian uniforms, and equipped with Russian equipment.”
Austin said that he would not speculate on when the North Korean units will begin to engage in combat with Russian soldiers. However, he said that the U.S. worked with international partners to discourage Russia from using these troops in combat.
Austin said that the deployment of North Korean forces is a direct consequence of Russia’s heavy losses in battle. A possible alliance with North Korea shows “how much trouble” Russian president Vladimir Putin is in.
“Putin won’t prevail in Ukraine even with more North Korean help.”
Kim Yong Hyun, South Korean Defense Minister, condemned North Korea’s participation in Russia’s conflict. He called such an action a “war crimes” and demanded the “immediate removal” of North Korean forces.
He said: “The deployment was (North Korean leader Kim Jong Un)’s attempt at maintaining its dictatorship. Kim Jong Un did not hesitate to sell its young people and soldiers as cannon-fodder mercenaries.”
Kim also discussed with the South Korean delegation the role they would play following the announcement by President Yoon Suk-Yeol on October 28 that Seoul will send observers to Ukraine within the next few days.
Kim said, “I think it could be a great chance for our analysis team or observer to learn about the movements or trends North Korean troops.”
Kim said that the information gathered about North Korea’s weapons and tactics will be useful for the future security of South Korea.
“If we do not send our analysts or observers, we would be failing to do our job,” he said.
Austin said that the “unlawful” military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang represents an escalation of the war and there will be consequences to their increasing aggression. Austin refused to give any examples or details. The U.S. has considered “different kinds” of action, but did not provide any details.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated on October 30 that “the evidence now indicates the North Korea has sent around 10,000 soldiers to train” in eastern Russia. “Some of these DPRK soldiers have already moved closer towards Ukraine, and we see them outfitted in Russian uniforms and equipped with Russian equipment.”
According to U.K. finance minister Rachel Reeves, London will provide guaranteed support for Ukraine in the amount of PS3 billion ($3.8billion) per year.
The European Commission cited recent legislative amendments affecting the election process. It also cited frequent compromises made on the secrecy of votes, procedural inconsistencies and intimidation. These have all negatively affected public trust in the electoral process.
Brussels expects Ukraine’s broadcasters to return their work to the format of the pre-war period, and questions the telethon’s objectivity.
The White House announced on October 17 that the next Ramstein format meeting would be held virtually in November, prior to Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the recent restrictions are applied to companies that are involved in networks of sanctions evasion in 17 jurisdictions including China, India Malaysia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand and Turkey.
Serhii derkach, Deputy Communities and Territories Minister, presented a step-bystep plan for the partial reopening Ukraine’s airspace during a conference held in Warsaw.
“Russia thinks that they are very powerful, but if we had wanted to seize their power plant, then we would have done so, we could have done so, but we didn’t want to,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Interfax the Russian banking giant offers interest at as low as 2% and plans to extend its offer to Kherson oblast and Zaporizhzhia as soon as construction of “housing” begins there.
The denial comes just a day after Financial Times reported that Ukraine, Russia and other countries are resuming talks about stopping the strikes on their energy infrastructures after the talks abruptly ceased in August after Ukraine’s Kursk invasion.
The prime minister of a NATO member and EU country discussed a number of topics with the propagandist sanctioned in the West, including the Nord Stream explosions and the alleged Western fatigue regarding the support for Ukraine.
It was a confidential information between Ukraine & the White House. How can we understand these messages? Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, said this during a press conference with journalists from Nordic nations.
Eric Schmidt, speaking at the Future Investment Initiative Conference in Saudi Arabia said that Russia’s conflict in Ukraine demonstrated how a “$5,000 Drone can destroy a tank worth $5 million.”
One source stated that only a few hundred of them are special forces and the rest are regular troops.
A source at the South Korean news agency said that Seoul had not received a similar request from the Ukrainians and the matter was not being considered.
As part of the investigation, the office summoned Salome Zourabichvili on Oct. 31. The president refused acknowledge the results, calling it “a Russian special operation” and urging voters to protest.
According to the Air Force, Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 33 of the 62 Russian Shahed drones that were launched overnight. Twenty-three drones were reported “lost.”
Oleksandr Vikul, the head the city’s Military Administration, said on his Telegram channel, Oct. 30, “Unfortunately, 55-year-old male died at 8:50 am.”
Microsoft warned in a blogpost on October 29 that the Russian hacker group Midnight Blizzard was sending highly targeted phishing email to U.S. citizens working in government, academia and defense organizations as well as non-governmental organisations.
In a separate press briefing on October 28, Pentagon spokesperson Major-General Pat Ryder stated that a “relatively few” North Korean troops were already in Kursk Oblast.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com