North Korea has denied reports that it sent soldiers to fight alongside Russia against Ukraine, according to a representative of North Korea at the United Nations. The South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported this on October 22, citing the North Korean representative.
This is Pyongyang’s first public response to multiple reports from Kyiv or Seoul about such a deployment.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Moscow plans to include Pyongyang into the full-scale conflict against Ukraine in the next few months, and around 10,000 North Koreans are preparing to join the Russian Army.
Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s chief of military intelligence, said that a first group of 2,600 troops will be deployed in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. This is where Ukraine began an incursion across the border in August and still controls significant territory.
The North Korean representative at the U.N. said that the relations between Pyongyang, Russia and Moscow are “legitimate, friendly, and cooperative.”
“As to the so-called military collaboration with Russia, my delegaion does not feel the need to comment on such stereotyped rumors that are aimed at smearing DPRK’s image,” he said.
The Kremlin called such reports “contradictory”, but did neither confirm nor deny them.
On October 15, a Western official told Kyiv Independent that 10,000 North Korean soldiers had already been sent into Russia. Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov of Ukraine’s military intelligence service HUR put the number at 11, and said that they would be “ready to battle” by November 1.
Online, a video purporting to show them at a Russian military training camp has also surfaced.
Moscow and Pyongyang are enhancing their military cooperation, as Russia looks for arms and other support to wage a full-scale war on Ukraine.
North Korea has been providing Russia with vast quantities of artillery and ballistic missiles.
This is Pyongyang’s first public response to multiple reports from Kyiv or Seoul about such a deployment.
The loan will go towards Ukraine’s military expenditures. Kyiv can invest in key equipment for fighting Russia, including artillery, air defence, and wider equipment support.
The Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed 46 of 60 Shahed drones launched overnight by Russia.
A government source told Yonhap that, “While watching for signs of North Korea and Russia military cooperation, response measures will be taken step by step.”
Russian local authorities claim that Ukrainian drones attacked four Russian plants, including three distilleries, overnight on October 22, including in the oblasts of Tula, Tambov, and Voronezh.
In an interview with Wladyslaw Bartoszewsk, Polish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs on October 21, Wladyslaw T. Bartoszewsk stated that Warsaw wants to review the classified additions made to Ukraine’s recent victory plan presented by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This includes 1,350 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported on October 21 that Russian soldiers executed two captured Ukrainians near Selydove, in Donetsk Oblast.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of Sudan (RSF) claim to have shot down an cargo plane in Darfur. It is speculated that Russians were on board.
Zelensky stated in his evening speech that “every meeting with our partners includes discussions about the Defense-Industrial Complex.” “We need Ukraine’s ability to defend its independence and sovereignty regardless of any threats from the outside world,” Zelensky said in his evening address.
Sandu stated on X that “the people of Moldova have spoken. Our EU future will be now anchored in our constitution.” “We fought fairly and won an unfair battle. The fight is not over. “We will continue to push for peace, prosperity and the freedom to create our own future.”
“Your unwavering commitment is not just an act of friendship. It’s a powerful sign of the shared values which bind our nations,” said Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defense minister, alongside U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Local authorities reported that on October 21, Russia attacked the towns Kurakhove, Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk Oblast district. Three people were killed and two others injured.
On the morning of October 21, Russia struck the residential area in the city and damaged 30 buildings.
In an interview with the BBC published on October 21, Yulia Navalnaya said, “I will participate… as a Candidate” in the elections when the time is appropriate.
Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon chief, said that ammunition, military equipment and weapons would be included.
Peter Stano, spokesperson for the European Commission, said that the referendum on Moldova joining the EU which was held alongside elections in the nation, was a result of “unprecedented” interference by Russia and its agents.
“North Korea sending soldiers to fight alongside Russia’s troops in Ukraine would be a significant escalation,” NATO secretary general Mark Rutte stated on social media after a conversation between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
In September, the largest government reshuffle since World War II took place. Herman Smetanin became the new head of the Strategic Industries Ministry.
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