Vladimir Putin with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in eastern Russia, September 2023 (Sky)

Monday’s Coverage: Russia’s 1,700 Strikes in 1 Week

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1611 GMT:

Residents of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv are reacting to the latest Russian bombing, including casualties and serious damage to the UNESCO-listed Derzhprom Building (see 0737 GMT).

“They are monsters, with no civilized values. The Russians bring hell,” said Denys Bohdanov as he looked at the skyscraper with a corner sheared off.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the destruction was “truly horrifying to see”: “If we look back at World War Two, even Hitler couldn’t do what the Russians have done.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted just after the attack on Monday night:

Adhering to shared principles saves human lives and cultural heritage. Compromising them brings death and ruin.

Bohdanov, a historian turned rescue worker, said of Russia’s long-standing jealousy of Ukraine and an “imperial complex”. “They’ve been like this for centuries. They hate us because we live better than they do. They are morons. Even the Nazis didn’t try and wipe out Derzhprom.”

UPDATE 1230 GMT:

Ukraine has struck a military target in Chechnya in southwest Russia for the first time.

Drones hit the Putin University for Russian special forces, setting the main building on fire about 6:30 a.m.

UPDATE 1129 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy conferred with South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday about the deployment of North Korean troops for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I provided my colleague with fresh data on 3,000 North Korean troops transferred to training facilities in the immediate vicinity of the combat zone,” Zelenskiy posted.

Reflecting Ukrainian, South Korean, and US intelligence assessments (see Original Entry), Zelenskiy said the number of troops is expected to rise to around 12,000.

We agreed to strengthen intelligence and expertise exchange, intensify contacts at all levels, especially the highest, in order to develop an action strategy and countermeasures to address this escalation, and to engage our mutual partners in cooperation. As part of this agreement, Ukraine and the Republic of Korea will soon exchange delegations to coordinate actions.

South Korean lawmakers said, after a briefing by the country’s intelligence agency, that North Korean troops deployed to Russia may be heading to the frontlines.

Legislator Lee Seong-kweun said, “The Russian military was teaching the North Korean military some 100 Russian military terms such as ‘back to your position’, ‘fire’, and ‘launch’…but the North Korean military was struggling [to understand].”

UPDATE 0930 GMT:

The Financial Action Task Force, which monitors illicit financial activity, has refrained from blacklisting Russia despite Ukraine’s appeals.

Kyiv cited the Kremlin’s increasingly close ties with North Korea and Iran, both of whom are blacklisted.

The FATF suspended Russia’s membership in February 2023 because of Moscow’s conduct with blacklisted states and its cyber-crimes.

During its meeting in Paris from October 22 to 25, the FATF declined to brand Russia a “high-risk country”.

UPDATE 0915 GMT:

Sweden is allocating more than $68 million in military aid to Ukraine.

Around $46.5 million will be for initiatives supporting Ukraine’s armed forces, the Swedish Government said. Another $21.6 million is for the development of the Ukrainian defense industry.

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced a €500 million ($543 million) aid package, with more than half for military assistance.

Nordic countries have provided Ukraine with more than €20 billion euros in military, financial, and humanitarian support during Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Monday’s Nordic Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland issued a statement, “The Nordic countries will continue to seek new avenues for supporting Ukraine and its people, while it continues to fight off Russia’s aggression.”

UPDATE 0737 GMT:

At least eight people were killed and at least 49 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

At least four civilians were killed in overnight Russian bombing of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv.

Earlier on Monday, a Russian guided bomb shattered the Derzhprom Building, Ukraine’s first skyscraper and a UNESCO landmark dating from the 1920s.

Nine civilians were wounded in the attack.

Russia has inflicted scores of casualties in Kharkiv in the past week. Eight people were also wounded by a rocket attack on the city of Chuhuiv, south-east of Kharkiv, on Monday.

A 39-year-old man was killed and 14 injured, one seriously, in a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih in south-central Ukraine late Monday.

The attack damaged 11 apartment buildings, a medical clinic, a school, an administrative building, and 10 garages. A gas pipeline was struck.

Overnight drone attacks injured six civilians in Kyiv. Debris hit a 9-story apartment building, and a fire spread to a nearby shop and cars.

Air defenses downed 26 of 48 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 20 were lost to electronic counter-measures, and one flew back towards Russia.

The Russians also fired an Iskander-M ballistic missile.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: The US says around 10,000 North Korea troops will be deployed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “within the next several weeks”.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said some North Korean soldiers have moved closer to Ukraine. Others are heading for the Kursk region in western Russia, part of which has been controlled by Ukraine from August 6 after a cross-border incursion.

The US assessment echoes that of South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence services, as well as the statements of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

After meeting South Korean defense and intelligence officials on Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said North Korea has sent troops to Kursk. He spoke to reporter of “a significant escalation” and “a dangerous expansion of Russia’s war.”

The South Korean delegation briefed the North Atlantic Council and representatives from Japan, Australia, and New Zealand on the North Korean involvement.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol later said, “This illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a significant security threat to the international community and could pose a serious risk to our national security.”

North Korea compounded the concern with the announcement on Tuesday that a delegation including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has left Pyongyang for an official visit to Russia. The Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said the visit is taking place “within the framework of a strategic dialogue”.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with South Korean counterparts later this week , in Washington.

Pentagon spokesperson Singh said, “If we see DPRK troops moving in towards the frontlines, they are co-belligerents in the war. This is a calculation that North Korea has to make.”