Russia and Ukraine unleashed a series of intense drone and missile strikes against each other, while North Korea’s foreign minister arrived in Moscow on Wednesday.
Choe Son Hui’s visit follows reports of North Korean troops deployed to support Russia, raising concerns within the West.
Russia launched 62 drones and one missile across Ukraine on Wednesday, with Ukrainian forces intercepting 33 drones and jamming 25 others, according to Ukraine’s air force.
In Kyiv, a residential building and a kindergarten were struck, injuring nine civilians, including a child. Continued strikes reportedly killed at least four and injured 30 more people across other regions.
“Russian drones did not change their constant tactics—they approached the capital from different directions, at different heights,” said the city’s administration.
Firefighters inspect the damaged office building after it was hit by Russian aerial guided bombs in central Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. Russia launched 62 drones at Ukraine overnight, damaging civilian sites in Kyiv and injuring nine people.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
Two North Korean Visits in Six Weeks
In response, Ukraine ramped up drone attacks, with Russia’s Defense Ministry stating it intercepted 25 Ukrainian drones over the country’s western and southwestern regions.
Moscow’s military also reported capturing Kruhlyakivka, a village in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
Choe’s visit to Russia marks her second trip to Moscow in six weeks.
Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora greeted her at Pyongyang’s airport, North Korean state media reported, while she departed to continue the “strategic dialogue” agreed upon during a June summit between Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The discussions likely include military cooperation, while some North Korean troops in Russia have moved closer to Ukraine’s border.
A Ukrainian officer of the 92nd separate assault brigade inspects ammunition in a shelter on the front line near Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. An estimated 10,000 North Korean troops are now stationed in Russia, with some believed to be close to Ukraine’s border in the Kursk region.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
North Korean Soldiers Stationed in Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden called the presence of North Korean forces “very dangerous” on Monday.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh confirmed that approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, some already positioned near the Kursk region. Singh described this deployment as a sign of Moscow’s “increasing desperation” amid heavy losses.
“This would mark a further escalation and highlights President Putin’s increasing desperation, as Russia has suffered extraordinary casualties on the battlefield, and an indication that Putin may be in more trouble than people realize,” Singh said.
“He’s tin-cupping to the DPRK [North Korea], Iran, because he has failed to meet those battlefield objectives,” she added.
Singh noted that the alliance between Russia and North Korea “would mark a further escalation.”
In this photo taken from a video released by Russian Defense Ministry press service on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, Russian Gvozdika 120 mm howitzer fires toward Ukrainian positions at border area of Kursk region, Russia. The U.S. has warned of “escalation” risks, with officials highlighting the growing cooperation between North Korea and Russia as a response to Moscow’s battlefield challenges.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
‘A Serious Threat to the International Community’
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned what he called “illegal” military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, calling it a “serious threat to the international community.”
Yoon stated that South Korea would “closely monitor the evolving battlefield situation and implement effective, gradual response measures.” South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) indicated that some North Korean troops may soon join front-line operations, though language barriers remain a challenge.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Russian claims that Ukraine aimed to seize a Russian nuclear plant.
“If we wanted to occupy their nuclear station, we could do it, but we never wanted it,” he said while visiting Iceland.
Zelensky also expressed frustration over leaks of Ukraine’s confidential requests to the U.S. for Tomahawk missiles. “It was confidential information between Ukraine and White House,” he said.
“How to understand these messages? So, it means between partners there is nothing confidential.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
