Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with Donald Trump, Trump Tower, New York City, September 27, 2024 (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Monday’s Coverage: Zelensky — Dozens of Russian and North Korean Officers Killed in Kursk Strike

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1451 GMT:

Five civilians have been killed and 43 injured by a Russian missile strike on Izyum in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine.

Seven people remain hospitalized, including a 15-year-old girl in moderate condition with shrapnel wounds.

An administrative building was hit, and another administrative building and several residential buildings were damaged.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky commented:

This brutality cannot be tolerated. Maximum pressure must be applied to Russia – through military force, sanctions, and diplomacy – to stop the terror and protect lives.

UPDATE 0851 GMT:

At least two civilians were killed and at least 13 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine in the past 24 hours.

The fatalities were in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine and the Kherson region in the south. Casualties were also reported in the Kharkiv region in the northeast.

Air defenses downed 37 of 65 drones launched by Russia on five regions overnight. The other 28 UAVs were lost to electronic counter-measures.

Emergency power shutdowns were introduced in eight regions due to the attacks and higher consumption.

UPDATE 0824 GMT:

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has called out Russia’s executions of Ukrainian POWs as a war crime.

The Mission cited the “sharp rise” in reports of executions, observing the killing of 79 Ukrainian POWs in 24 separate incidents since late August 2024.

Mission head Danielle Belle said the killings “did not arise out of nowhere” as Russian officials have “openly called for the ill treatment and even execution” of the POWs.

Belle emphasized that military commanders and political leaders “must issue clear and unambiguous orders to ensure the protection and humane treatment” of all POWs and individuals no longer participating in combat.

Ukrainian officials have documented 177 executions of POWs during Russia’s full-scale invasion.

UPDATE 0811 GMT:

South Korean intelligence has confirmed Ukraine’s assessment that North Korean troops have departed the frontline in Russia’s Kursk region.

Like Kyiv, Pyongyang said the North Koreans — deployed last autumn alongside Russian units — have not been fighting since mid-January.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky repeated over the weekend that North Korean forces suffered 4,000 casualties out of their deployment of around 12,000 to Russia. US and South Korean analysts have offered assessment of around 3,000 casualties.

The North Koreans were sent to bolster Russia’s attempt to retake Kursk, part of which has been controlled by Ukraine since a cross-border incursion on August 6.

UPDATE 0653 GMT:

The US Justice Department has found Russia funneled billions of dollars through American banks to Turkey in 2022, amid Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow evaded sanctions by using the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project as cover.

JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup arranged more than $5 billion in transfers linked to the Russian-backed project. At least $2 billion was later frozen by US authorities.

The Justice Department believes the scheme was orchestrated at the highest levels in the Kremlin, with the Bank of Russia secretly funding a $9 billion loan through Gazprombank. It suspects the transfers were designed not just for nuclear construction but also to create an offshore dollar reserve for Russian state initiatives.

Prosecutors tried to seize the frozen funds in 2024, but the Biden Administration halted the case, fearing diplomatic fallout with Turkey.

The White House and State Department also worried that legal action could strain cooperation wiht Ankara on prisoner exchanges, counter-terrorism, and Middle East stability. A key concern was the suspected involvement of Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and former Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati in facilitating the Russian payments.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Donald Trump is seeking rare earth minerals in return for US aid of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s 35-month invasion.

Trump told reporters in Washington on Monday, “We’re telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths. We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.”

Trump maintained that Kyiv was willing to accept, but reiterated the demand for “equalization” for Washington’s “close to $300 billion” of support.

We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it.

The New York Times reported in December that Ukrainian authorities postponed signing an agreement with the US on extracting rare earth minerals, letting Trump take credit for the deal after his return to the White House on January 20.

Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham said in November:

This war is about money. So Donald Trump’s going to do a deal to get our money back, to enrich ourselves with rare earth minerals.

Ukraine did not formally respond on Monday. But “a person close to [Ukraine President Volodymyr] Zelensky” said Trump’s remarks “seem to align with the ‘Victory Plan’ presented to him in the fall”. The source said Ukraine offered Trump “special terms” for co-operation on key resources, “stressing the need to protect them from Russia and Iran”.

Meeting fellow European Union leaders in Brussels, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Trump’s insistence on a quid pro quo “would be very selfish, very self-centred”. He explained that the resources would be better used for Ukraine’s reconstruction after an end to the invasion.

US officials confirmed that the Trump Administration briefly paused weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

“Four people briefed on the matter” said shipments restarted after the Administration stepped back from an initial assessment to stop all aid.