A source close to the President’s Office told The Kyiv Independent that on October 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky had asked the Ukrainian authorities to create proposals for an internal plan of action to help the country survive the war.
Sources said that the document will cover military, political, and economic issues, as well as certain decisions regarding law enforcement. The plan is expected be prepared and presented by the Ukrainian public before the end of 2024.
BBC quoted a source from Zelensky’s team as saying: “The goal is doing everything possible to achieve results in different areas of the development of the country.”
The plan, according to reports, is not an alternative to Zelensky’s “victory plan” and provides steps that Ukraine must take. The victory plan has a defense component, non-nuclear means of deterring Russian aggression, economic growth, cooperation, and a post-war security architecture. The plan also includes three classified addenda, which have been shared with partners internationally.
The Ukrainian president said his victory plan could “bridge the gap between current conditions and a successful summit of peace.”
US Defense Secretary confirms that North Korean troops are in Russia
Reuters reported that “thousands” of North Korean soldiers are expected to be sent to Russia to support the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
There is evidence that DPRK (North Korean troops) are in Russia. What are they doing? What are they doing? We need to sort these things out,” US Defense secretary Lloyd Austin said on October 23 in Rome.
Austin’s statement is the first time that the US has publicly confirmed the statements made by Ukraine and South Korea. Both nations claim that Russia plans to include thousands of North Korean soldiers in its full-scale conflict.
The troops are said to be dispersed in multiple training facilities across Russia, and they are adapting to their local environment.
North Korea has denied these reports, and a Kremlin spokeswoman gave a vague answer.
Ukraine stabilizes situation in Toretsk
The Kyiv Independent reports that Ukraine has stabilized the situation in Toretsk within the Donetsk Oblast. However, the Russian army continues concentrating its forces in the eastern portion of the town.
Toretsk is located about 35 kilometers north of Donetsk. In recent months, the town has become one of the most popular spots in Donetsk Oblast as Russian troops continue to advance in east Ukraine.
“The situation in Toretsk is relatively stable.” Ukrainian forces now hold the demarcation lines unchanged. Bobovnikova stated that the enemy was still entrenched on the eastern side of the city. “We will continue to defend the town until they are forced out.”
UN: Russian invasion causes Ukraine population to plummet by 10 million
The United Nations says that the population of Ukraine has decreased by 10 million people or about a quarter since the beginning of Russia’s full scale invasion in 2022. They cite the exodus, the decline in fertility and the deaths from war as the main causes.
UN agency notes that the invasion has accelerated a population decline which was already evident before the war. The trend is similar to that seen in Eastern Europe. However, the conflict has made the situation worse.
The UN official said that 6.7 million Ukrainians are now living in other countries, primarily Europe. “The birth rate in Ukraine is around one child for every woman, one of the lowest rates in the world,” he added.
Al Jazeera: Ukraine’s army faces a desertion crise
Al Jazeera reports that this year in Ukraine, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of soldiers deserting due to poor conditions on the frontline and long service.
Reports indicate at least 30,000 prosecutions of desertion, a significant increase from previous years. Morale is low as troops are subjected to heavy fire and insufficient rest. Some prefer prison to the uncertainty of constant combat. The Ukrainian government decriminalized the first time desertion attempt, as long as individuals returned to duty.
The army is facing critical manpower shortages as the war drags on. Estimates suggest that tens or even hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been killed. This situation is only getting worse. Analysts point to mental and physical exhaustion among soldiers, along with inadequate weaponry, for contributing factors in the rising desertion rate.
NATO noncommittal on Ukraine’s membership
Although Russia’s gains are incremental, its steady progress is slowly improving — and Ukraine is pleading to the West for help on a greater scale.
Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, has been non-committal on Ukraine’s path towards joining the alliance despite the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented a “victory” plan that depends on his country becoming an official member before the end of the war.
Zelensky stated on Wednesday that the “victory plan”, he had developed, could bring peace to Ukraine by next year. Many of Ukraine’s NATO Allies have not publicly expressed their support for the country’s accession to NATO while Russia’s invasion is ongoing.
Rutte, who spoke to reporters at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, was non-committal regarding Ukraine’s path towards membership. He said that the priority is to put Ukraine in the best position to negotiate with Russia in future negotiations.
Rutte, refusing to give details, said: “We are in contact with allies and with Ukraine to see how we can proceed next.”
Zelensky has presented a five-point plan to win the Ukrainian parliament. The first point is to secure NATO membership.
NATO takes its decisions by consensus. Many allies, including the US and Germany, refuse to let Ukraine in as long as fighting continues. They fear that the Article 5 obligation will drag them directly into conflict with Russia.
The NATO summit in Washington, held in July, declared that Ukraine was on an “irreversible path” to joining the Western military alliance. However, the speed of the process was not addressed.
Compiled by Ana Dumbadze
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