Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in an interview with South Korea’s KBS, broadcast October 31, 2024

Thursday’s Coverage: Finland Seizes Russian Properties

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1425 GMT:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Kyiv is still waiting on the delivery of Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland.

“We agreed with NATO that they would provide [Poland] with a police mission, just like our Baltic friends, who do not have their own planes but have such a mission,” Zelensky said. “We agreed on this, but after that, did Poland give us the planes? No. Was there another reason? Yes.”

The President did not give further details.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski responded that Warsaw has done more for Ukraine “than any other nation”.

Taking into account “military, financial, economic, humanitarian [assistance], and the assistance for Ukrainian refugees, Poland has done more for Ukraine in terms of GDP than any other nation”, Sikorski declared. “[There are] almost 300 of our tanks, a lot of heavy equipment, and planes across the eastern border.”

The Foreign Minister added, “We’re trying to help, but we’re also a front-line country. Russia also threatens us, and not everything is possible.”

UPDATE 0927 GMT:

Two civilians were killed and 24 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

A 75-year-old man was slain in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine, and another person was killed in Kherson in the south.

Air defenses downed 31 of 48 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 14 were lost to electronic warfare, and three flew towards Belarus.

Drone debris damaged several civilian enterprises, apartment buildings, and houses in the Poltava, Cherkasy, Kyiv, and Odesa regions.

Russian forces fired three Kh-59/69 cruise missiles, with one of them shot down by air defenses.

The missiles were fired on Odesa. Among the targets was a fire station, where two rescuers were injured.

UPDATE 0725 GMT:

A Ukrainian drone has struck an oil refinery around 1,500 km (932 miles) inside Russia.

The head of the Bashkortostan Republic, Radiy Khabirov, confirmed the attack on the city of Ufa. Three drones fell within the facility of the oil refinery, and one on the refinery itself. He claimed there was minimal damage with no casualties.

It is the second time that drones have struck in Bashkortostan.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says partners have taken “zero” action in response to North Korea’s deployment of troops, supporting Russia’s 32-month invasion.

In an interview with South Korea’s KBS TV released on Thursday, Zelenskiy said Vladimir Putin is “testing the reaction of the west, of NATO and the reaction of South Korea”.

And if there is nothing – and I think that the reaction to this is nothing, it has been zero – then the number of North Korean troops on our border will be increased.

In a lengthy thread on Twitter, Zelenskiy noted that the Russians are “bringing in North Korean soldiers because they lack sufficient forces of their own”.

It’s not just weapons or workers in Russian factories — North Korean soldiers are in Kursk, our occupied territories, preparing to fight Ukraine. This is a war of two countries against one.

Zelenskiy used the North Korean threat to discuss military co-operation with South Korea, noting Pyongyang’s expertise in air defense and suggesting collaboration over intelligence.

He concluded:

US: 8,000 North Koreans Deployed

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that around 8,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in Russia on the border with Ukraine.

Blinken said the US assessed that 10,000 troops have been sent to Russia, matching the intelligence from Ukraine and South Korea.

He warned that Russia could put the North Koreans into combat “in the coming days”. Echoing Zelenskiy, he declared:

One of the reasons that Russia is turning to these North Korean troops is that it’s desperate. Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he’s turning to North Korean troops, and that is a clear sign of weakness.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted that the North Koreans were receiving Russian uniforms and equipment: “All of that strongly indicates that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in frontline operations in its war of choice against Ukraine.”