Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un pose for the cameras, Pyongyang, June 19, 2024

Saturday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy Backs “Truly Strategic” Incursion Into Russia’s Kursk Region

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 0930 GMT:

At least four people were killed and at least 30 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Two people were killed and eight injured in the Donetsk region on eastern Ukraine. In the Kharkiv region in the northeast, a 49-year-old man was killed when a Russian Lancet drone hit a car.

In the Kherson region in the south, a 55-year-old man was slain and 15 people injured. A gas pipeline, a bus, houses, a multi-story building, and other buildings were damaged.

Ukraine air defenses downed 56 of 87 attack drones and two of four missiles launched by Russia overnight.

Another 25 drones were “lost” from radar, probably because of Ukrainian counter-measures. All drones detected over Kyiv were intercepted and destroyed on approach to the capital, amid five hours of alerts.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy summarized the week’s Russian attacks and commented:

This daily aerial terror can be stopped. This requires unity among our partners and long-range capabilities, which will help save Ukrainian lives every day.

UPDATE 0920 GMT:

Already trying to hold back a Russian offensive in the east of the country, Ukraine’s military are warning of a push by Moscow in the south.

Russian forces are massing for a breakthrough in the direction of Orikhiv and Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhzhia region, Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn said on television on Saturday.

“If they achieve a breakthrough, Russia will be able to fire at logistical routes connecting Zaporizhzhia to the east of Ukraine,” Voloshyn said. “Russia will try to succeed at any cost to cut off our logistics.”

The spokesperson said Ukrainian intelligence has established that Russian forces are amassing personnel and logistical support and “in a few days, they will likely start new offensive operations”. He projected that Russia will deploy small assault groups backed by armored vehicles.

Orikhiv is 50 km (31 miles) southeast of Zaporizhziha city and around 10 km (6.2 miles) north of the frontline.

The area was the main axis of Ukraine’s southern counter-offensive in 2023, which led to limited advances but no major breakthrough.

UPDATE 0559 GMT:

Russian forces have executed 93 Ukrainian prisoners of war on the battlefield during Vladimir Putin’s 31-month invasion, according to senior Ukrainian official Yuri Bilousov.

Bilousov, who heads a department investigating war crimes, said 80% of the recorded cases occurred in 2024. He assessed the cause as a further deterioration in the discipline of Russian troops, while noting that the war crimes are systemic and condoned by Moscow’s authorities.

A Ukrainian documentary, “No Prisoners Taken”, about executions on the frontline:

UPDATE 0546 GMT:

Seeking more frontline troops without the order of a full mobilization, the Russian Government is allocating 90 billion rubles ($948 million) to one-time payments for men signing a military contract between 2025 and 2027.

The Government currently offers 400,000 rubles ($4,200) one-time payments for a contract. In addition, regional governments offer one-time payments, some of which exceed 1 million rubles.

The Kremlin is hoping to recruit 225,000 new personnel through contract service in the next three years.

UPDATE 0531 GMT:

Ukraine’s military says a Russian warplane was downed over the east of the country on Saturday.

The warplane was near the city of Kostiantynivka, close to the frontline in the Donetsk region. Photos showed charred remains of the aircraft after it landed on a house that caught fire.

Claims varied as to whether the warplane was a Su-25 fighter jet, which provides close air support to ground forces, or a S-70 Okhotnik-B ”hunter” stealth drone.

Claims are circulating that the stealth drone, under development since 2011, was a prototype being tested on the battlefield. Ukraine’s Euromaidan News, citing “sources”, said Russia only had three prototypes with three in development.

The Ukrainian military indicated that the Su-25 jet may have shot down the stealth drone after it went out of control.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine intelligence, using the Kyiv Post, claims that it killed six North Korean military officers in a missile strike on a Russian facility on Thursday.

The sources said more than 20 troops were slain in total in the attack near occupied Donetsk city, the center of the Russian position in eastern Ukraine. Among the wounded were three North Korean personnel.

The North Koreans were meeting Russian counterparts near occupied Donetsk city. Three North Korean soldiers were wounded.

The Russians were reportedly demonstrating the training of military personnel for offensive and defensive operations to their visitors. A source quoted by Russia media said, “We were showing our friendly military how our fighters prepare for assault actions, for defense, how we resist American weapons.”

In June, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un signed a bilateral treaty on strategic partnership. Under its terms, Russia and North Korea will provide mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the countries. Reports at the time said North Korea planned to dispatch a large-scale engineering force to the Donetsk region. The following month, claims circulated that a delegation from North Korea’s Kim Il Sung Military University visited Russia.

North Korea has reportedly delivered ballistic missiles and nearly 5 million artillery shells to Russia. “Western intelligence sources” say half of all the artillery shells used by Russia in Ukraine are now being supplied by North Korea. The sources said about 3 million shells per year are being shipped from Pyongyang to Moscow, though a large number are believed to be faulty.

In return, Moscow has supplied tanks, aircraft, and technology for the North Korean spy satellite program.