The situation at a glance: Zelenskyj: Need weapons against North Korean soldiers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has complained about the lack of weapons to fight North Korean soldiers in the service of the Russian army who are advancing to the front. “We can see every place where these North Korean soldiers are, every camp,” he said in his nightly video address. “We could strike in advance if we had the opportunity and range (of the weapons).”

But this in turn depends on Ukraine’s partners. Even after months of requests, they did not give Kiev permission to use long-range weapons to attack military targets on Russian territory.

“Instead of giving us the decisive range capability, the USA, Great Britain and Germany are just watching,” complained Zelensky. “Everyone waits as North Korean units prepare to attack Ukrainians.”

Zelensky called on Ukraine’s supporters to intervene. “Anyone in the world who really wants to prevent this war between Russia and Ukraine from spreading and spreading from Europe to other regions of the world must not just watch.”

USA: 8,000 North Korean soldiers in Kursk

Just the day before, the White House had spoken of up to 8,000 soldiers from North Korea stationed in the Kursk region of western Russia. Washington expects these units to be deployed in combat soon. More could follow. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny the presence of North Korean soldiers in his own country and pointed out that Ukraine also relies on personnel from NATO countries.

Internationally isolated North Korea, under the leadership of the dictatorial ruler Kim Jong Un, has been supplying Russia with rockets and artillery shells for a long time.

North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has now assured Moscow of Pyongyang’s help until it wins the war against Ukraine. “Once again we promise that we will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until Victory Day,” Choe said at a meeting with her Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Lavrov emphasized the close cooperation between the military and security organs of the two countries.

Russian missile attack on Kharkiv – drones against Sumy

According to official information, at least one person was killed in a Russian rocket attack on a police station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in the evening. 26 police officers and four civilians suffered injuries, some of them life-threatening, in the attack, regional military administrator Oleh Synjehubow said on the Telegram platform. “The doctors are now fighting for their lives.”

According to initial investigations, the police station was hit by at least two rockets. Kharkiv has repeatedly been the target of Russian air and missile attacks in recent months. Other cities in Ukraine are also being attacked without any discernible pattern. The aim of these attacks, which often appear indiscriminate, is to put pressure on the Ukrainian civilian population.

Shortly afterwards, a Russian attack with combat drones was reported in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy. One of these drones hit a multi-story residential building, the authorities reported. Five people were seriously injured, including a pregnant woman.

USA promises further military aid to Ukraine

The USA is providing Ukraine with additional military equipment to defend against Russia’s war of aggression. The US Department of Defense announced that the new package is worth around 425 million US dollars (around 392 million euros). It contains, among other things, ammunition for Himars-type rocket launcher systems and for the Nasams-type air defense system as well as artillery ammunition with calibers 155 and 105 millimeters.

The USA is Ukraine’s most important ally and largest arms supplier in its defense against Russia. According to the Pentagon, the US has provided more than $60.4 billion (around €55.7 billion) in military aid to Kiev since the start of the war.

The outcome of the US presidential election in a few days will have a significant impact on whether or not Kiev can still hope for large-scale support from the US in the future. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has threatened not to continue if he wins the election.

Report: Heavy losses in Ukraine

According to a report in the New York Times, which cites US military and intelligence sources, Ukraine has already suffered 57,000 casualties in the war so far. This corresponds to almost half of the Russian side’s losses, but is of great importance for the smaller Ukraine. In view of the Russian military’s recent gains in territory in eastern Ukraine, a threatening situation has also arisen. Therefore, US observers doubted the Ukrainians’ ability to stop the advance of Russian troops.

The “NYT” also sees the most important development for Kiev “not on the battlefield, but at the ballot box” in the presidential election in the USA. The different starting points with ex-President Trump, who wants to end the war quickly while his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris wants to continue supporting Ukraine, “weighs heavily on the Ukrainians.”

US military experts believe that Ukraine’s current biggest problem is not weapons and ammunition. Rather, Ukraine’s biggest shortcoming is its troop strength. Kiev hesitated for too long to lower the draft age from 25, so the country could run out of troops. The Pentagon therefore estimates, the paper continued, that Ukraine has enough soldiers available for another six to twelve months.