Key developments for October 24:
Ukraine’s military intelligence reports that the first North Korean troops have been deployed to the front line in Kursk Oblast.
White House: ‘North Korean troops fighting for Russia in Ukraine would be fair game,’ White House says
President Yoon Suk Yeol has said that South Korea may’review the ban’ on supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine.
Military sources claim that Russian forces are building crossings near the Oskil River in order to advance on Kupiansk.
The Ukrainian military is considering creating a new cyber army branch
White House: North Korean troops fighting for Russia in Ukraine would be “fair game”
John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council of the United States, said on October 23 that North Korean troops fighting for Russia against Ukraine were “fair game”.
The U.S. confirmed publicly for the first time that it had evidence that Pyongyang soldiers were being sent to Russia. This follows previous reports from Ukraine, South Korea, and other sources.
Kyiv and Seoul claim that Moscow plans to include thousands of North Korean troops into its full-scale conflict.
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 themselves against North Koreans the same way it defends itself against Russian soldiers.
“And the possibility that there may be dead or wounded North Korean soldiers…is absolutely real if these soldiers are deployed.”
Kirby revealed the details of U.S. Intelligence assessments, stating that Washington believes North Korea has “moved at minimum 3000 soldiers into Eastern Russia.”
He said: “These soldiers traveled to several Russian military training sites located in eastern Russia, where they are currently receiving training.”
Kirby said that it was too soon to say if they would “enter into combat alongside the Russian Military,” but added that it was a “highly worrying probability.”
He said: “We have briefed Ukraine’s government on our understanding of the situation. We are also consulting closely with allies, partners, and countries in the area on the implications of a move of this magnitude, and how we could respond.”
I expect to have more information to share in the next few days.
President Yoon Suk Yool said that South Korea could re-examine the ban on the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine
President Yoon Suk Yeol stated on October 24 that South Korea may reconsider its ban on the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine, in light “North Korean military activity”.
“If North Korea sends special forces into the Ukraine war, then we will support Ukraine step-by-step and consider taking the necessary measures for the Korean Peninsula’s security,” Yoon said at a press conference in Seoul with Polish President Andrzej Dda.
“We have adhered strictly to the principle of not supplying lethal arms, but we may be able to review this more flexiblely depending on North Korean military activity,” he said.
Yoon and Duda both denounced the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, calling it a “direct breach of the U.N. Charter” and U.N. Security Council Resolutions. Their comments were reported by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
Yoon said, “(South Korea will) never be idle about this and will take necessary steps step by step in coordination the international community based on the development of N. Korea – Russian military cooperation.”
Seoul has so far only provided non-lethal and humanitarian military aid to Kyiv. However, it has indirectly supplied Ukraine with ammunition – 155mm artillery rounds, specifically – via the U.S.
Experts who spoke with the Kyiv independent earlier this week stated that South Korea is unlikely ever to start supplying arms directly, as Seoul’s own legislation restricts it.
“It has been a consistent position because it is a law.” It’s more than a policy decision,” Jenny Town, senior Fellow at the Stimson Center, and Director of Stimson’s Korea Program and 38 North told the Kyiv Independent.
“The president cannot just say, hey, I’ve switched my mind; this is what we’re doing now. It really requires actual legislation to be adopted.”
Yoon’s approval ratings this week dropped to 24,1 percent, the lowest since he assumed office in 2022.
Town said that he does not have the bipartisan support needed to pass legislation, because he is “in such a weak position at this time.”
Town says that if there is going to be more military assistance for Ukraine, it will likely be through increasing indirect channels.
Military sources claim that Russian forces are building crossings near the Oskil River in order to advance on Kupiansk.
Kupiansk, a strategically important city in Kharkiv Oblast, was temporarily occupied in 2022 by Russian forces.
In recent months, the city was heavily attacked as Russia intensified their offensive in the region. Russian forces are increasingly active near Kupiansk following a renewed offensive in Kharkiv.
“The enemy has also focused its efforts on reaching…the Oskil River.” Muzychuk said that the enemy was trying to establish crossings near the river.
Recently, Russian troops have increased their use armored vehicles in the Kupiansk frontline sector. In the area surrounding the settlements Tabaiivka and Pishchane as well as Kolysnikivka there have been reports of active hostilities.
According to Oleksandr PIVNKO, commander of Ukraine’s National Guard on October 20, the Russian army tried to seize the Oskil River Crossing and expand their offensive on the Eastern Bank. But Ukrainian National Guard troops were able successfully stop this advance.
On October 18, Ukrainian forces liberated the village of Kruhliakivka, Kharkiv Oblast from Russian soldiers. The Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), described Kruhliakivka’s importance for the defense Kupiansk.
Ukrainian military considering creating a new cyber army branch
The statement stated that “the creation of Cyber Forces, as a distinct branch, will significantly enhance the capability of the Ukrainian Army, ensure effective planning, and implementation of a full range of tasks within cyberspace, which is recognized, along with the land, sea and air, as a different operational domain.”
Participants reviewed the main provisions in a draft concept for the branch and defined the main tasks and functions of any future cyber arm.
They also analyzed the relevant experiences of the Ukrainian army in the context of Russia’s total war.
In the first days of 2022, Ukraine launched a full-scale IT army to counter the Russian invasion.
Russian hackers have also regularly targeted Ukrainian government institutions and businesses with crippling attacks aimed at disrupting many industries and government services.
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