Situation at a glance: Ukraine: North Korean soldiers reinforce Russian army

According to the Ukrainian government, there are also soldiers from North Korea in the ranks of the Russian occupation troops. There is a strengthened alliance between Moscow and regimes like that of ruler Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyj in his evening video address. “It’s no longer just about arms deliveries, but about the integration of North Koreans into the occupying forces.”

In recent days there have been reports of North Korean soldiers being deployed in eastern Ukraine. However, it has not yet been conclusively clarified whether those killed were actually members of regular Russian troops. The US military think tank ISW (Institute for the Study of War) recently reported that several thousand North Korean soldiers had arrived in Russia and were being prepared for deployment in Ukraine.

Pyongyang is already massively supporting the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which began in February 2022, with weapons and ammunition. According to a report by the South Korean secret service, the country, which is largely isolated internationally, primarily supplies artillery shells and short-range missiles.

Zelensky wants to discuss this development with his country’s Western partners in the near future – and used it as an opportunity to call for more support for the Ukrainian army. “When we talk about more long-range capabilities for Ukraine and more critical supplies for our armed forces, it’s not just about a list of military equipment,” he said. Rather, it is about increasing the pressure on Moscow to such an extent that it can no longer withstand it. “And it’s about preventing a larger war.”

The Ukrainian leadership has long demanded that the West release long-range weapons for strikes against military targets deep in the Russian hinterland. She has repeatedly stated that nuclear power Russia’s military must be destroyed so that it can never attack another country again.

Major Russian attack repelled

According to their own statements, Ukrainian paratroopers recently repelled a major attack by the Russian armed forces near Kurachowe in eastern Ukraine. A Russian column of around 25 infantry fighting vehicles and five main battle tanks had already been discovered by air reconnaissance as it approached, the paratrooper high command announced on Facebook. The convoy was destroyed by Ukrainian artillery and kamikaze drones. It was said that seven armored personnel carriers and two tanks were destroyed. The information could not be independently verified.

A total of 105 Russian advances were registered on the front sections in eastern Ukraine during the day, as the General Staff in Kiev announced in its evening situation report. The biggest hotspots were near Pokrovsk and Kurachowe. The Russian attacks, which were all repulsed, were also supported by fighter aircraft.

Russian units have been trying for months to expand their territorial gains around Donbass. They seem to have suffered high losses of soldiers and material, but only minor successes.

Kyiv: Russians are increasingly executing prisoners of war

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha appealed to the international community for help following a new report about the alleged shooting of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian soldiers. He demanded that the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrants against the “Russian executioners and torturers.” At the same time, international observers and doctors should be given access to prison camps. “Executions are becoming more and more frequent; according to the UN, 95 percent of prisoners of war are tortured,” he complained.

The background is reports of the execution of nine Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered after using up all their ammunition during fighting in the western Russian region of Kursk. According to Ukrainian media reports, they were said to have been executed on the spot. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office in Kiev has now started an investigation, reported Ukrainska Pravda, among others.

A Russian soldier was recently captured who is said to have shot several Ukrainian soldiers with his comrades at the beginning of September after they gave up their arms. The crime was filmed by a reconnaissance drone. According to its own information, the public prosecutor’s office in Kiev is aware of over 90 cases of shootings of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

NATO begins defense exercise

This Monday, NATO begins its annual maneuver to defend the alliance’s territory with nuclear weapons. According to information from headquarters in Brussels, around 2,000 soldiers from eight air force bases will be involved in the “Steadfast Noon” exercise over the next two weeks. The airborne maneuvers will involve training with more than 60 aircraft. These include modern fighter jets capable of carrying US nuclear bombs stationed in Europe, as well as long-range bombers, surveillance and tanker aircraft.