Key developments for October 28:
* Russia attacks downtown Kharkiv, damages key landmarks with FAB 500 bomb
* US won’t impose any new restrictions on Ukraine using American weapons if North Korea enters a war, Pentagon says
Zelensky: 650,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded during war against Ukraine
* If Trump wins the presidential election, he plans to freeze Russia’s war against Ukraine.
* Analysis says that almost 80% of Vovchansk’s buildings were destroyed or damaged by Russian attacks
US won’t impose any new restrictions on Kyiv using American weapons if North Korea joins the war
The Pentagon announced on October 28 that the United States would not impose new restrictions on Ukraine using American weapons if North Korean forces engage in combat. This was after NATO confirmed that North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast.
Reuters reported that “a portion of these soldiers have already moved nearer to Ukraine and we are growing more concerned that Russia intends on using these soldiers to combat or support combat operations against Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, near the border with Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
The U.S. announced on October 26 that North Korean troops were being sent to Kursk Oblast in Russia’s border region, which is facing an offensive by Ukraine.
Pentagon estimates that 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed in eastern Russia to train, up from 3,000 troops estimated on Oct. 23.
Joe Biden, the U.S. president, described this development as “very dangerous.”
HUR, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency, reported on October 24 that the first units were already deployed in Kursk Oblast. The Pentagon has yet to confirm the presence of North Korean forces in the area.
“It’s likely that they’re moving in that direction towards Kursk.” Singh said, “I don’t know any more details yet.”
Ukraine’s military Intelligence had previously stated that Russia was preparing to send 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers, and three generals. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the first North Korean troops would be deployed to the combat zone by Oct. 27 or 28.
Vadym Mysnyk said on October 28 that the Ukrainian military had not yet engaged in combat with or captured North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Russia and North Korea initially dismissed the reports, but have recently shifted to a more evasive tone as evidence of the dispatch of troops grew.
Washington continues to prohibit Kyiv’s use of long-range American weapons for deep-into-Russia strikes. Zelensky, who announced the plan on October 21, said that the U.S. plans to provide Ukraine an aid package worth $700-800 millions for the production of long-range capability in Ukraine.
Russia damages Kharkiv landmarks with FAB 500 bomb
On October 28, Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov revealed that Russian forces used a FAB 500 bomb to attack downtown Kharkiv.
Andriy Yermak, the chief of the Presidential Office, later stated that the strike had damaged the Derzhprom Building (the State Industry Building), whose enhanced UNESCO Protection has been in place since 2022.
Around 9 pm local time, there were a series explosions in the city. The strikes resulted in a fire and heavy smog in the central part Kharkiv.
Syniehubov reported that at least six people had been injured around 9:30 pm local time. The attack caused damage to a medical center as well as administrative structures.
Terekhov clarifies information on casualties and damage, he says.
Zelensky claims that 650,000 Russian soldiers were killed or injured in the war against Ukraine.
Zelensky, in an interview published in the Times of India on October 28th, said that Russia has lost 650,000 soldiers, including dead and wounded, during the war against Ukraine.
According to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, over 690,000 Russian soldiers have been rendered inactive since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. This figure includes not only the wounded and dead, but also those who have been captured.
Estonian intelligence estimated Russia could lose as many as 40,000 personnel in the month of October.
“Russia has killed many Russians.” The Russian army killed a lot of mobilized Russians because they were afraid of being attacked, dying under the bullets or being wounded. Zelensky said to Times of India that the Russian soldiers retreated, and then their army killed them.
Zelensky stated, “This is their war law.”
Zelensky said that Russia does not also pick up their dead soldiers from the field, but instead leaves them to rot.
FT reports that Trump will freeze the war in Ukraine if he wins the presidential election.
The Financial Times (FT), citing sources close to Donald Trump’s team, reported on October 28 that if he won the U.S. Presidential election, he would freeze Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump has said he will end the war with Russia in “24 hours”, but he has not elaborated on how he intends to do it. Trump’s inner circle has made some statements and reports that suggest this could mean pressuring Ukraine to cede land or give up its NATO ambitions.
J.D., the Republican vice presidential candidate, has been a strong critic of President Obama’s policies. Vance, according to FT, outlined his idea of freezing the conflict in September by establishing autonomous zones on both sides of demilitarized zones and leaving Ukraine out of NATO.
According to a long-time Trump advisor, the new plan would rethink failed Minsk Agreements of 2014 and 2015. These agreements were never implemented. The agreements included a plan to create autonomous zones in Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk and other oblasts. The Minsk Agreement did not mention the occupied Crimea.
The adviser said that the new plan will include enforcement mechanisms as well as consequences for violating an agreement. According to him, it will be European troops and not NATO or UN peacekeepers who will be responsible for maintaining order.
“America will insist on two things. We will not have men or women in our enforcement mechanism. We don’t pay for it. “Europe is paying for it,” said he.
Allies of Trump argue that Ukraine is losing this war and that, therefore, pushing to reach a settlement would be morally right. Trump believes Biden should speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin as presidents did during the Cold War with Soviet leaders, and that NATO membership for Ukraine is not an immediate option.
Fred Fleitz is a former CIA Analyst who served Trump’s White House. He now works at the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security. In an interview with The Financial Times, he suggested that Ukraine’s NATO membership could be removed from the agenda for a few years in order to force Russia to negotiate.
Analysis shows that almost 80% of Vovchansk’s buildings were destroyed or damaged by Russian attacks
A joint investigation by Bellingcat/AFP published on October 28 showed that almost 80% of the buildings in Vovchansk were destroyed or damaged since Russia launched its offensive.
After the full-scale Russian invasion, the town of 17,000 people, located only 5 kilometers away from the Russian border, in Kharkiv Oblast became a hotly contested area.
Vovchansk was under Russian occupation until 2022, when the Ukrainian counteroffensive liberated it. The town then faced heavy fighting after Russia launched a new offensive in May 2024. This forced most residents to leave their homes.
The civilians who spoke to journalists told harrowing tales of escape. They also revealed that, at times, civilians were deliberately targeted by the terrorists.
Bellingcat and AFP, citing satellite images, said that 60% of the buildings in the town had been destroyed and 18% were damaged. Only 22% of buildings were still standing as of late September.
Despite Russia’s surprise attack in May, the Russian offensive has quickly stalled, with Russian troops suffering heavy losses.
Since then, the intensity has decreased compared to other sectors of Ukraine’s east near Pokrovsk Vuhledar and Toretsk.
According to the Ukrainian army, Russian tactics typically involve destroying towns and villages using artillery and bombs, before moving in to “capture”, the ruined settlements.
Anastasia Bobovnikova said that the Russian assault on Toretsk in the Donetsk Oblast left no buildings intact, as she explained on October 14.
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