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The Russian invasion of Ukraine

Four killed by Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Odesa region​

Four people were killed by a Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region on Friday, Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app

Kiper said a ballistic missile struck a two-story building where civilians lived and worked. Ten more people were wounded.

Source: Reuters
 
Russia says it captures another village near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine

Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces had taken control of the village of Mykhailivka in eastern Ukraine, where they have been advancing towards the important logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Reuters could not independently confirm the capture of Mykhailivka, which sits alongside a highway southeast of Pokrovsk.

The Ukrainian military said in its daily report that its troops repelled 36 Russian assaults in the Pokrovsk area, including near Mykhailivka.

Source: Reuters
 
To boost Ukraine’s army, feared patrols hunt for potential conscripts

A stone’s throw from advancing Russian troops, Volodymyr refuses to leave his eastern Ukrainian town.

The daily Russian pummelling has killed some of his neighbours and destroyed buildings around his house, but the 34-year-old does not want to move to a safer area because he would be forcibly conscripted.

“I’ll be herded back home but with a gun in my hands,” he told Al Jazeera as fighting raged just 10km (6 miles) away.

He has no qualms about what Ukrainian generals might call unpatriotic behaviour.

“Way too many guys” he knows have been killed, wounded and incapacitated since 2014 when Russia-backed separatists sparked a conflict in eastern Ukraine that killed more than 13,000 people, about a quarter of them civilians, and displaced millions.


www.aljazeera.com

To boost Ukraine’s army, feared patrols hunt for potential conscripts

Officials looking for men stalk nightclubs, concerts and subway stations but some accuse patrols of dubious measures.
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why do islamists support russia but oppose israel? I can understand hating Israel and US, but what did ukraine do?

Is this impy becos Russia opposes US and therefore are worthy of support
 

US sanctions Chinese firms behind Russian drones, as Zelensky calls for 'pressure'​


The United States has sanctioned two Chinese companies it says are involved in the production of aerial drones used by Russia in its war in Ukraine.

In a statement, the US Treasury said it was also targeting a Russian company and its owner, Artem Yamshchikov, who it said serve as an intermediary between the firms and a Russian state-owned weapons company.

The move means their property and interests within US control have been seized.

It came as Volodymyr Zelensky outlined his "victory plan" in a speech to the EU Council - in which he said Ukraine had intelligence that "China is still actively helping Russia drag out this war".

The US Treasury said it had sanctioned Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Co - which makes engines that power Russia's Garpiya long-range drones - and Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co for its involvement in shipment.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had "been used to destroy critical infrastructure and has resulted in mass casualties".

Thousands of the so-called suicide drones have been produced since last year, according to the Reuters news agency.

"Russia increasingly relies on the expertise of foreign professionals and the import of sophisticated technologies to sustain its weapons program," US Treasury official Bradley Smith said.

Speaking to the EU Council on Thursday, the Ukrainian president also accused North Korea and Iran of aiding Russia's war effort.

"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants to match your countries’ ammunition production by next year," he told European leaders.

"Please don’t ease the pressure of sanctions on Russia - it truly helps."

Elsewhere in his speech, Zelensky outlined the five-point victory plan he revealed to the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday.

He said that Ukrainian forces could hold the front line within his country while continuing to attack Russian territory - if allies provide the weapons Ukraine has requested.

Zelensky also said another point in his plan - an invitation to join Nato - would bolster Ukraine's negotiating position, but suggested this would not mean immediate membership of the military alliance.

"Russia has used the geopolitical uncertainty caused by Ukraine not being in Nato," he told the EU Council, adding that "an immediate invitation to Ukraine to join Nato would be decisive".

He added: "Of course, membership would follow later."

But the Ukrainian leader said that applying military pressure to Russia was needed to achieve an equitable peace - including being permitted to use long-range missiles on Russian soil.

"We propose placing on Ukrainian land a deterrence package that would either force Russia to participate in real peace negotiations or allow for the destruction of their military targets," Zelensky said.

Describing this as a "peace through strength approach", he added: "Putin should respect our strength, not have the free world tremble at his threats."

www.bbc.com

US sanctions firms behind Russian drones, as Zelensky calls for 'pressure'

The US Treasury announces the move after the Ukrainian president called out China's involvement in Russian arms.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Are North Korean troops joining Russia’s war in Ukraine?

Russia’s army is forming a unit of some 3,000 North Koreans, a Ukrainian military intelligence source has told the BBC, in the latest report suggesting that Pyongyang is forming a close military alliance with the Kremlin.

So far the BBC has yet to see any sign of such a large unit being formed in Russia's Far East, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed reports of North Korean involvement.

"This is not only British intelligence, it is also American intelligence. They report it all the time, they don't provide any evidence," he said.

There is no doubt Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened their levels of cooperation in recent months. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent Vladimir Putin a birthday message only last week calling him his "closest comrade".

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken of North Korea joining the war, and South Korea’s defence minister said this month that the chance of a North Korean deployment in Ukraine was “highly likely”.

The biggest question mark is over the numbers involved.

A military source in Russia’s Far East confirmed to BBC Russian that “a number of North Koreans have arrived” and were stationed in one of the military bases near Ussuriysk, to the north of Vladivostok. But the source refused to give a precise number, other than that they were “absolutely nowhere near 3,000”.

Military experts have told us they doubt Russian army units can successfully incorporate North Korean soldiers in their thousands.

“It wasn’t even that easy to include hundreds of Russian prisoners at first – and all those guys spoke Russian,” one analyst - who is in Russia so didn't want to be named - told the BBC.

Even if they did number 3,000, it would not be big in a battlefield sense, but the US is as concerned as Ukraine.

“It would mark a significant increase in their relationship,” said US state department spokesman Matthew Miller, who saw it as “a new level of desperation by Russia” amid battlefield losses.


www.bbc.com

Are North Korean troops joining Russia’s war in Ukraine?

Russia says no, but Ukraine and South Korea point to a deepening relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
N Korea sends troops to fight with Russia: Seoul

North Korea has started sending troops to fight with Russia in Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency has said as Seoul warned of a "grave security threat".

The allegation comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed 10,000 North Korean soldiers could join the war, based on intelligence information.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a security meeting on Friday and said the international community must respond with "all available means".

According to the spy agency, 1,500 troops have already arrived in Russia - with anonymous sources telling South Korean media the final figure could be closer to 12,000.


www.bbc.com

North Korea deploys troops to fight with Russia: Seoul

The first 1,500 troops arrive in Russia ahead of going to Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency has said.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Russian missile damages residential buildings in Ukraine's Odesa, no casualties

A Russian missile struck a residential district in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa late on Friday, triggering a fire, but causing no casualties, officials said.

An official city Telegram channel said a three-storey building had sustained damage along with 10 private homes. Emergency services were at the site.

There was no independent verification of the report.

Odesa and port facilities in the region have come under increased Russian attack in recent weeks.


Reuters
 

Missile strikes on Ukraine as Russian forces storm frontline town​


Missile strikes on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown have injured 17 people, as Russian forces in the east are reportedly storming a town as they push to gain control of the whole of the Donbas.

A police officer and a rescue worker were among those wounded in the strikes on the central city of Kryvyi Rih.

Regional governor Serhiy Lysak said the attack damaged 15 apartment buildings, stores, a cafe, a church, office spaces, a bank branch and a gas pipeline.

Elsewhere, around 10 drones were destroyed near the capital, Kyiv, while one civilian was killed and 11 injured when the town of Shotska came under attack from guided bombs and drones.

Russia denies that it targets civilians but has regularly fired missiles and drones at towns and cities far behind the front lines.

In eastern Ukraine where Russian soldiers have been advancing, Kremlin forces are fighting street-to-street battles with Ukrainian defenders in the town of Selydove, according to pro-Russian bloggers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to gain full control of Ukraine's Donbas region, which is where the thrust of Russia's advance has been taking place in recent months.

"Street by street fighting is going on in the town," according to Yuri Podolyaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger. "The assault on Selydove has intensified."

Russian forces have been surrounding towns in the Donetsk region and slowly constricting them until Ukrainian forces are forced to withdraw. It's being reported the same is happening in Selydove, which had a pre-war population of more than 20,000.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces struck an airfield in Russia's Lipetsk region and an explosives-manufacturing enterprise in the Nizhny Novgorod region, its military said.

The explosives plant is one of the largest manufacturers of its kind used by Russian forces in the war and has been subject to Western sanctions.

Air defence units shot down 110 Ukrainian drones over Russia, according to the country's defence ministry, including one over the Moscow region.

news.sky.com

Missile strikes on Ukraine as Russian forces storm frontline town

Strikes on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown injured 17 people and elsewhere one person was killed and 11 wounded in an attack by guided bombs and drones.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
NATO warns Moscow and North Korea against major escalation in Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Pyongyang and Moscow on Monday against sending North Korean soldiers to fight in the Ukraine war.

North Korea deploying soldiers to fight with Russia in Ukraine "would mark a significant escalation," Rutte said on X after talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The two spoke by phone about the close relationship between South Korea and the Western military alliance, Rutte said, noting their cooperation in the defense industry and their "interconnected security."

South Korean President Yoon has described North Korea's cooperation with Russia as a serious security threat "not only for our country but also for the international community."

On Friday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) accused the North Korean army of having already sent around 1,500 soldiers to Russia for training ahead of their expected deployment in Ukraine.

In total, the agency said North Korea has decided to send around 12,000 soldiers to provide support for Russia, including special units.


www.anews.com.tr

NATO warns Moscow and North Korea against major escalation in Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned against North Korea sending soldiers to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, calling it a significant escalation after talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
www.anews.com.tr www.anews.com.tr
 
US says evidence shows North Korea has troops in Russia, possibly for Ukraine war

The United States said for the first time on Wednesday that it had seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that could mark a significant escalation in Russia's war against its neighbor.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking in Rome, said it would be "very, very serious" if the North Koreans were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Kyiv has alleged. But he said it remained to be seen what they would be doing there.

"There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia," Austin told reporters, using North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Speaking to reporters later on Wednesday White House spokesperson John Kirby said the United States believes at least 3,000 North Korean troops are undergoing training at three military bases in eastern Russia.

The U.S. determined the North Korean soldiers were transported by ship in early-to-mid October from North Korea's Wonsan region to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok before being taken to three military training sites in eastern Russia, said Kirby.


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Cricket Warrior said:
US says evidence shows North Korea has troops in Russia, possibly for Ukraine war

The United States said for the first time on Wednesday that it had seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that could mark a significant escalation in Russia's war against its neighbor.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking in Rome, said it would be "very, very serious" if the North Koreans were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Kyiv has alleged. But he said it remained to be seen what they would be doing there.

"There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia," Austin told reporters, using North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Speaking to reporters later on Wednesday White House spokesperson John Kirby said the United States believes at least 3,000 North Korean troops are undergoing training at three military bases in eastern Russia.

The U.S. determined the North Korean soldiers were transported by ship in early-to-mid October from North Korea's Wonsan region to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok before being taken to three military training sites in eastern Russia, said Kirby.


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Have North Korean soldiers fought any war since the Korean war? Would be interesting to see if they will participate in the war against Ukraine.
 

Ukraine war briefing: Brics summit backfired on Putin with calls for peace, says Kyiv​


The foreign ministry in Kyiv said on Wednesday that Moscow had failed to win support for its invasion of Ukraine at the Brics summit it is hosting, where Putin faced direct calls to end the conflict from some of his closest and most important partners. “The Brics summit, which Russia planned to use to split the world, has once again demonstrated that the world majority remains on the side of Ukraine in its quest to guarantee a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace,” the ministry said. The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, told the summit that there must be “no escalation of fighting” in Ukraine, saying: “We must adhere to the three principles of ‘no spillover from the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no adding oil to the fire by relevant parties’, so as to ease the situation as soon as possible.”

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, called for “avoiding escalation and initiating peace negotiations”. Without referring to any specific conflict, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, also issued a call for peace: “We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war.” In private talks, Vladimir Putin welcomed offers by several of the Brics leaders to mediate in Ukraine, even as he told them his forces were advancing, said his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, according to Russian state media.

North Korean troops would be legitimate military targets – “fair game” – if they engaged in combat in Ukraine, White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday. The US has said for the first time that it has seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia, and South Korean lawmakers have said about 3,000 soldiers have been sent to support the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, with Kim Jong-un’s regime promising to provide a total of about 10,000 troops by December.

North Korean troops in Russia are ‘fair game’ if deployed to fight in Ukraine, US says

Alexander Lukashenko – the Belarusian president, who has stayed in power by running a client state of Russia – said in interviews broadcast on Wednesday that Putin deploying any foreign forces in the Ukraine conflict would inevitably lead to an escalation, possibly involving Nato troops. Lukashenko claimed it was “rubbish” that North Korean troops were going to fight in Ukraine: “Knowing his character Putin would never try to persuade another country to involve its army in Russia’s special operation in Ukraine … [it] would be a step towards the escalation of the conflict if the armed forces of any country, even Belarus, were on the contact line.” That would prompt Ukraine’s allies to point to foreign involvement “so Nato troops would be deployed to Ukraine”.

Ukrainian authorities have announced the mandatory evacuation of children and their families from Borova in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv, where Russian forces have been making advances. The governor of the Donetsk region earlier said all children had been removed from the frontline town of Myrnograd and just several dozen remained in the nearby transport hub of Pokrovsk - the main target of Russian advances. Authorities in the Zaporizhzhia region, which the Kremlin claimed to have annexed alongside Donetsk and two others, said two men aged 40 and 73 had been killed in a drone attack.

The Biden administration is trying to provide Ukraine with US$10bn in military aid as part of its $20bn commitment under a $50bn loan coordinated with the G7 and EU, the White House National Security Council said on Wednesday. Joe Biden, the US president, said: “We will provide $20bn in loans to Ukraine that will be paid back by the interest earned from immobilised Russian sovereign assets. Make no mistake: Russia will not prevail in this conflict … tyrants will be responsible for the damages they cause”. The US plans to disperse $10bn by December as economic aid, but needs US lawmakers’ approval for a further $10bn, the White House national security council has said on Wednesday.

Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after detecting what were probably two drones breaching its national airspace, the Romanian defence ministry said late on Wednesday.

It was the third such incident in less than a week. Two signals were picked up by radar less than one hour apart flying above the south-eastern counties of Constanta and Tulcea, the latter bordering Ukraine across the Danube River. The pilots did not see either drone before losing the signals, the ministry said.

Source: The Guardian
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday that Ukraine has twice approached Russia with peace proposals, mediated by Turkiye, only to abandon its initiatives soon after

In an interview with the Russian channel Rossiya 1, Putin urged Kyiv to clarify its stance on peace talks.

“Our Turkish partners … have approached us with what they described as initiatives from the Ukrainian side. But each time we agreed, the Ukrainians had already withdrawn their proposal. This has happened twice. Ultimately, we need clarity on their readiness and intentions,” he said.

Putin said Turkish representatives had given him “Ukraine-related materials” on the sidelines of the Brics economic bloc summit in the city of Kazan, which he said required careful review and that he had not yet had the chance to examine them thoroughly.

He, however, emphasised that any agreement would need to consider and respect Russia’s interests.

Russia’s started its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022, saying it had to help and protect eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk that were fighting against Kyiv since 2014.

While several countries, including Turkiye, have acted as intermediaries to facilitate potential peace discussions, these talks have faced significant setbacks, often stalling or breaking down.

However, despite occasional proposals from both sides, broader peace talks have failed to progress, largely due to incompatible demands and underlying distrust.

Source: Anadolu Agency
 
Russian drone hits Kyiv residential building, triggers fires on top floors, officials say

A Russian drone struck a multi-storey residential building in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday evening, triggering a fire in the building’s top floors, officials said.

“The top floors are on fire in a high-rise building in Solomyanskyi district struck by an enemy drone,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Serhiy Popko, head of the capital’s military administration, said the fire had spread to several apartments in the district just west of the city centre.

A picture posted on social media showed a high-rise building shrouded in smoke with fires burning on one of the top floors.

There was no immediate word on casualties. Popko said emergency services were at the scene.


www.brecorder.com

Russian drone hits Kyiv residential building, triggers fires on top floors, officials say

A Russian drone struck a multi-storey residential building in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday evening,...
www.brecorder.com
 
Putin says Moscow will respond if West helps Ukraine to strike deep into Russia

President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that Russia's defence ministry was working on different ways to respond if the United States and its NATO allies help Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with long-range Western missiles.

The 2-1/2-year-old Ukraine war has triggered the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the depths of the Cold War, and Russian officials say the war is now entering its most dangerous phase.

Russia has been signalling to the United States and its allies for weeks that if they give permission to Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles, then Moscow will consider it a major escalation.

Putin said on Sept. 12 that Western approval for such a step would mean "the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine" because NATO military infrastructure and personnel would have to be involved in the targeting and firing of the missiles.


 
Russian army claims new advance in east Ukraine

Russia said Sunday its military had advanced further in east Ukraine, capturing a frontline village just a few kilometres north of a key Ukrainian-held industrial hub.

Moscow has made steady gains on the battlefield for months, pressing their advantage against overstretched and outmanned Ukrainian forces.

Russian army units “liberated the settlement of Izmailovka,” the Russian defence ministry said in a daily briefing, using the Russian spelling for the village.

Izmailivka had a population of just under 200 people before the conflict.

It lies eight kilometres (five miles) north of the key industrial hub of Kurakhove and just a few kilometres north of Kurakhivka, a small town on a stretch of frontline Moscow is trying to surround.


www.brecorder.com

Russian army claims new advance in east Ukraine

MOSCOW: Russia said Sunday its military had advanced further in east Ukraine, capturing a frontline village just a...
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Nato says North Korean troops deployed to Russia's Kursk region

North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are operating in the Kursk border region where Ukrainian troops have a foothold, Nato has said for the first time.

The alliance's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, said he could confirm the deployment after weeks of intelligence reports, following a meeting with South Korean security and defence officials on Monday.

The newly installed Nato chief said the deployment represented a "significant escalation" and a "dangerous expansion" of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Last week, President Vladimir Putin refused to deny that North Korean troops had arrived in Russia, following reports that Pyongyang was preparing to send thousands of troops to aid its ally.



www.bbc.com

Ukraine war: Nato says North Korean troops deployed to Russia's Kursk region

Mark Rutte said the deployment represented a "dangerous expansion" of Russia's war in Ukraine.
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No new limits on Ukraine's use of US arms if North Korea joins Russia's fight, Pentagon says

The U.S. will not impose new limits on Ukraine's use of American weapons if North Korea joins Russia's war, the Pentagon said on Monday, as NATO said North Korean military units had been deployed to the Kursk region in Russia.

The North Korea deployment is fanning Western concerns that the 2-1/2-year conflict in Ukraine could widen, even as attention shifts to the Middle East.

It could signal how Russia hopes to offset mounting battlefield losses and continue making slow, steady gains in eastern Ukraine.

 

North Korean troops in Russia: How will it impact the Ukraine war?​


The United States says an estimated 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed in Russia as the NATO chief calls the move “a significant escalation” in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Pentagon said on Monday that it is “increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat” in Kursk, a Russian region on the border with Ukraine that was invaded by Kyiv’s forces in August.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said: “The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.”

Ukraine, supported by Western arms shipments, has been battling Russian forces since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of the Eastern European nation in February 2022. Russia has since captured parts of eastern and southern Ukraine and has made military gains in recent months.

So what impact could the possible presence of North Korean troops in Russia have on the Ukraine war?

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Ukraine in new mobilisation drive as Russia advances

Ukraine is planning to draft another 160,000 troops into its military as Russia gains ground in the east.

Russia has been advancing in the eastern Donetsk region and on Tuesday said it had fully captured the mining town of Selydove.

It also comes amid reports that a number of North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia.

Ukraine's military has been under severe pressure of late, in part due to Russia's greater manpower and deeper resources.

"There are plans to call up more than 160,000 people," the secretary of Ukraine's National Security Council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, told parliament on Tuesday.

The AFP news agency reports the recruitment will take place over three months.

The announcement comes as Ukraine continues to commit personnel for its incursion in the Kursk region of Russia, which started in August.

The Pentagon estimates around 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to train in eastern Russia.

The US said on Tuesday a "small number" of North Korean troops have been sent to Kursk. A couple of thousand more are heading there, it said.

Last week, President Vladimir Putin refused to deny that North Korean troops had arrived in Russia, following reports that Pyongyang was preparing to send thousands of troops to aid its ally.

The latest mobilisation comes after Ukraine's parliament passed legislation in April to help mobilise troops to fight invading Russian forces.

The law requires every man aged between 25 and 60 to log their details on an electronic database so they can be called up. Conscription officers are on the hunt for those avoiding the register, pushing more men who do not want to serve into hiding.

The measure is aimed at boosting numbers in the military, which is under severe pressure as Russia continues to make gains in the east.

Moscow has announced that it now controls all of Selydove in the Donetsk region as well as surrounding villages, as it focuses on the city of Pokrovsk.

This is a strategically significant transport hub, just 18km (10 miles) away.

BBC
 
About 8,000 North Korean soldiers at Ukraine border, says US

About 8,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in Russia on the border with Ukraine, the US secretary of state has said, warning that Moscow is preparing to deploy those troops into combat “in the coming days”.

Antony Blinken said the US believed that North Korea had sent 10,000 troops to Russia in total, deploying them first to training bases in the far east before sending the vast majority to the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine.

Blinken told a press conference that the North Korean troops had received Russian training in “artillery, UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that they fully intend to use these forces in frontline operations”.

The announcement was the clearest statement yet from the US that it anticipated the first large-scale deployment of foreign troops into the Russia-Ukraine war since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The deployment could expand the largest land war in Europe since the second world war into a multi-region conflict, tying in the rising tensions in the Korean peninsula between North and South Korea.


www.theguardian.com

About 8,000 North Korean soldiers at Ukraine border, says US

Antony Blinken warns that Russia is preparing to deploy the troops into combat ‘in the coming days’
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US intelligence on wars is usually on point, but why have the North Koreans sent their soldier for slaughter.
 
Ukraine's Zelenskiy urges allies to stop watching, start acting on North Korea

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Ukraine's allies to stop "watching" and take action to tackle the presence of North Korean troops in Russia before they start confronting his country in combat.

Zelenskiy, in a video posted on Telegram, said North Korea had made progress in its military capability, missile deployment and weapons production and "now unfortunately they will learn modern warfare".

"The first thousands of soldiers from North Korea are near the Ukrainian border. Ukrainians will be forced to defend themselves against them," he said. "And the world will watch again."

Zelenskiy said Ukraine had pinpointed every location where North Korean soldiers were posted in Russia. But Kyiv's Western allies, he said, had not supplied the long-range weapons needed to strike them.

"But instead of such necessary long-range capability, America watches, Britain watches, Germany watches...," he said.


 
Ukraine says it fought N Korean troops for first time

North Korean soldiers have clashed with Ukrainian troops for the first time, Ukraine's top officials have revealed.

In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said a "small group" of North Korean soldiers were attacked.

Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who had earlier condemned the West's lack of response to the North Korean troops, said these "first battles with North Korea open a new chapter of instability in the world".

He said an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers were in the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian troops have a foothold.

Ukraine's top counter-disinformation official Andriy Kovalenko first said in a Telegram post on Monday that North Korea's "first military units... [had] already come under fire in Kursk".

In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Rustem Umerov confirmed this, saying he expects a "significant number" of the North Korean troops to be engaged in combat, though he added it was "so far just small contacts, not full-scale engagement".

Most of them are still undergoing training, he added.

"They're wearing Russian uniforms, they're undergoing tactical training, and they're being deployed under various commands of the Russian army on the front lines," Umerov said.

He said it was likely that five units, each consisting of around 3,000 soldiers, would be deployed across the battlefield.

He did not mention if there were any casualties.

In a daily video address on Wednesday, Zelensky called on Ukraine "together with the world... [to do] everything to make this Russian step toward expanding the war... a failure. Both for them, and for North Korea."

Intelligence sources from South Korea, the US, and Nato had earlier all confirmed the deployments of North Korean troops.

Late last month, Seoul had summoned Russia's ambassador, seeking the "immediate withdrawal" of the North Korean troops. It has also warned that it is considering directly supplying arms to Ukraine.

Analysts have said that Pyongyang could be paid, or may be given access to Russian military technology in exchange for the troops.

On Wednesday, Russian lawmakers will vote to ratify a mutual defence treaty with North Korea, first proposed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's lavish visit to Pyongyang in June.

It pledges that Russia and North Korea will help each other in the event of "aggression" against either country. Both countries have neither confirmed nor denied that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia.

BBC
 
The Kremlin reacted cautiously on Wednesday after Donald Trump was elected U.S. president, saying the U.S. was still a hostile state and that only time would tell if Trump's rhetoric on ending the Ukraine war translated into reality.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis when the Soviet Union and the U.S. came close to nuclear war.

Trump's re-election caps a remarkable comeback four years after the Republican was voted out of the White House and ushers in a new American leadership likely to test democratic institutions at home and relations abroad.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump had made some important statements about wanting to end the Ukraine war during his campaign, but only time would tell if they led to action.

"Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country, which is both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state" (in Ukraine)," Peskov told reporters.

Peskov said he was not aware of any plans by President Vladimir Putin to congratulate Trump on his victory and that relations with Washington were at an historic low.

"We have repeatedly said that the U.S. is able to contribute to the end of this conflict. This cannot be done overnight, but... the U.S. is capable of changing the trajectory of its foreign policy. Will this happen, and if so, how ... we will see after (the U.S. president's inauguration in) January."

Russian and U.S. diplomats say relations between the world's two largest nuclear powers have only been worse during the depths of the Cold War. Russian officials from Putin down said ahead of the election that it made no difference to Moscow who won the White House, even as Kremlin-guided state media coverage showed a preference for Trump.
 
Ukraine says it fought N Korean troops for first time

North Korean soldiers have clashed with Ukrainian troops for the first time, Ukraine's top officials have revealed.

In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said a "small group" of North Korean soldiers were attacked.

US officials told the Reuters news agency that North Korean troops were engaged in combat in the Kursk region of Russia on 4 November.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who had earlier condemned the West's lack of response to the North Korean troops, said these "first battles with North Korea open a new chapter of instability in the world".


www.bbc.com

Ukraine says it fought N Korean troops for first time

Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said a "small group" of North Korean soldiers were attacked.
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Russian anti-war teenager faces five years in jail after failed appeal​


One of Russia's youngest political prisoners has lost an appeal to overturn a five-year jail sentence.

Arseny Turbin was only 15 when he was arrested in the summer of 2023.

Authorities accused him of joining the Freedom of Russia Legion - a paramilitary unit composed of Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine against the Russian army.

The Freedom of Russia Legion is designated as terrorist organisation by Russia, and Arseny was sentenced to five years in a juvenile colony. On Thursday, the court of appeal reduced his five-year term - but only by 24 days.

Arseny is one of nine minors who have faced politically motivated criminal charges since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent crackdown on civil liberties, according to Russian human rights organisation OVD-Info.

He denies all the charges against him. He says he researched the legion but that he never applied and has committed no crime. His mother Irina also maintains he is innocent.

“I just don’t understand the judge who handed down the sentence,” she told the BBC.

Investigators have also claimed Arseny distributed leaflets critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the legion’s behalf.

He admitted to distributing leaflets but denied following instructions from anybody.

Arseny did openly criticise Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin in school.

He was also politically active on social media, reposting content from Russian opposition figures and occasionally sharing his own political content, including a video in which he can be seen holding a solo picket in support of late opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

His mother says he was acting of his own accord and not on the instructions of the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Yet, in late August 2023, agents from the FSB, Russia’s security service, searched Arseny’s home in the small town of Livny, 450km (280 miles) south of Moscow, and confiscated his electronic devices.

The next day he was summoned for questioning and accused of joining the Freedom of Russia Legion.

“I was hysterical, I was shaking, crying," says his mother. "Arseny told me: 'Mum, calm down, I didn’t commit any crime, they will work it out.'"

No lawyer was present during the interrogation, which Irina deeply regrets. She believes the FSB subsequently added to the transcript a confession of guilt that Arseny never made.

Some of his schoolmates were questioned by investigators and said Arseny would often criticise Putin and Russia's actions in Ukraine. But in their statements - which the BBC has seen - none of them said he had a connection to the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Nevertheless, Arseny was formally arrested the following week.

He spent several months under house arrest as he awaited sentencing. Then, last June, he was transferred to a Moscow detention centre, where he has been detained ever since.

In that time, his mother says his weight has dropped from 69kg to 52kg as he struggled with lack of appetite due to constant stress.

Irina also noticed he has withdrawn emotionally, and that he often asks why he is punished for something he did not do.

For a time Arseny also had a violent cellmate who attacked him, hit him on the head and threatened him.

Speaking to the BBC, Irina and Arseny’s teachers painted a picture of a highly intelligent and politically engaged young man who now faces several long years in jail for a crime he did not commit.

His mother said from a young age Arseny had been passionate about science, particularly physics and economics.

He had dreamed of studying political science at a prestigious Moscow university. “He wanted to improve life in Russia,” his mother said.

She spoke of her son having a strong sense of justice, which he developed after experiencing bullying at school.

He was frequently mocked and called derogatory names because he was born in Dubai and his father was from the United Arab Emirates.

Irina says that since his arrest Arseny no longer has any friends, as most have distanced themselves from him.

Her neighbours and co-workers even accuse her of having “raised a terrorist”, she says.

If Arseny really was innocent, they argue, the court would have acquitted him. She believes they don’t fully understand how the Russian judicial system works.

Her standard response is to hope they never have to encounter the system themselves.

"But if you do, you’ll find out.”

www.bbc.com

Russian anti-war teenager faces five years in jail after failed appeal

Arseny Turbin, one of Russia's youngest political prisoners, has lost an appeal to overturn his five-year jail sentence.
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South Korea says ‘not ruling out’ supplying weapons to Ukraine

South Korea is not ruling out providing weapons directly to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk-yeol has said, following North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Russia in its war.

Pyongyang’s involvement in the conflict presented a threat to Seoul, as the reclusive state’s soldiers get much-needed combat experience, which its military lacks, and additionally gets rewarded by Moscow with sensitive military technology transfers, Yoon told a news conference on Thursday.

South Korea, a major arms exporter, has a longstanding policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict.

“Now, depending on the level of North Korean involvement, we will gradually adjust our support strategy in phases,” Yoon said.

“This means we are not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons.”

Yoon said he discussed North Korea with United States president-elect Donald Trump in a phone conversation that laid the groundwork for a face-to-face meeting in the “near future”.


www.aljazeera.com

South Korea says ‘not ruling out’ supplying weapons to Ukraine

President Yoon signals shift based on Pyongyang’s support for Russia and says would ‘prioritise defensive weapons’.
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Russia jails soldiers who killed entire family in Ukraine​


A Russian court has sentenced two Russian soldiers to life in prison for killing a family of nine in occupied Ukraine, in a rare example of the country holding its troops to account for alleged war crimes.

The entire Kapkanets family were killed in their home in the Donetsk region in October last year by Anton Sopov, 21, and Stanislav Rau, 28, prosecutors said. Among the victims were two children aged five and nine.

The family had been celebrating a birthday at the time, Ukraine's ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said a day after the killings.

Some details of the case are unclear, such as whether the soldiers pleaded guilty, as the trial was held behind closed doors due to military secrecy, Russian media reported.

Sopov and Rau were convicted of killing 53-year-old Eduard Kapkanets, his wife Tatiana, their adult sons with their wives, a nine-year-old granddaughter, a four-year-old grandson and a more distant relative of the family.

Ukrainian officials at the time said they believed the family was murdered for refusing to give up their house to the Russian troops.

State news agency Tass reported that the men had been convicted for murder "motivated by political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred".

The Ukrainian city of Volnovakha was captured by Russian forces just weeks after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Most of the town has been destroyed.

Russia denies all allegations of war crimes in Ukraine, despite well-documented evidence to the contrary.

This includes the bombing of a theatre in Mariupol which had been sheltering hundreds of people in March 2022 and the killing of hundreds of people in the town of Bucha that month.

Russian forces are also accused of running a network of torture chambers across occupied Ukraine, where civilians and prisoners of war are tortured and in some cases killed.

The UN has accused Russian forces in Ukraine of rapes, "widespread" torture and killings and the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Vladimir Putin's arrest.

Source: BBC
 
Bloggers report Russian forces moving closer to Ukrainian frontline town

Military bloggers on Friday reported that Russian forces were moving closer to capturing a major town on the eastern front in the war in Ukraine as part of their drive westward to capture all of the Donbas region.

Bloggers on both sides reported that Russian forces had entered the village of Sontsivka and were advancing from the northwest on the city of Kurakhove.

Ukrainian authorities made no acknowledgement that the village had fallen into Russian hands, while noting that fighting on the eastern front was heaviest around Kurakhove and Pokrovsk, a major logistics centre to the northwest.


 
Russia suffers worst month for casualties, says UK defence chief

Russia has suffered its worst ever month for casualties since the start of the war in Ukraine, the UK chief of defence staff has told the BBC.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said Russia’s forces suffered an average of about 1,500 dead and injured "every single day" in October, bringing its losses to 700,000 since the war began in February 2022.

Russia does not disclose the number of its war dead, but Western defence officials have said October's death toll was the heaviest so far.

In an interview with BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Sir Tony said the Russian people were paying an "extraordinary price" for Putin's invasion.

"Russia is about to suffer 700,000 people killed or wounded – the enormous pain and suffering that the Russian nation is having to bear because of Putin’s ambition," said Sir Tony.

He said the losses were for "for tiny increments of land".

"There is no doubt that Russia is making tactical, territorial gains and that is putting pressure on Ukraine," he said.

But he added that Russia is spending more than 40% of its public expenditure on defence and security, which he said was "an enormous drain" on the country.

While allies of US President-elect Donald Trump insist that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may have to cede territory to bring the conflict to an end, Sir Tony insisted that Western allies would be resolute for "as long as it takes".

"That’s the message President Putin has to absorb and the reassurance for President Zelensky," he told the programme.

Trump has consistently said his priority is to end the war and stem what he characterises as a drain on US resources, in the form of military aid and financial support to Ukraine.

But he has yet to divulge how he intends to do so - and will likely be hearing competing visions for Ukraine's future from his various advisers.

Earlier this week, Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory and said Trump's claim that he can help end the war in Ukraine "deserves attention at least".

Trump's Democratic opponents have accused him of cosying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and say his approach to the war amounts to surrender for Ukraine that will endanger all of Europe.

Bryan Lanza, a Trump political adviser during his 2016 and 2024 campaigns, has said the incoming administration will focus on achieving peace in Ukraine rather than enabling the country to gain back territory occupied by Russia.

Mr Lanza told the BBC the incoming administration would ask President Zelensky for his version of a "realistic vision for peace".

A spokesperson for Trump distanced the incoming president from the remarks, saying Mr Lanza "does not speak for him".

Last month, Zelensky presented a "victory plan" to the Ukrainian parliament that included a refusal to cede Ukraine’s territories and sovereignty.

The Kremlin dismissed the plan with a spokesman saying Kyiv needed to "sober up".

BBC
 
Trump ally says Ukraine focus must be peace, not territory

A former adviser to President-elect Donald Trump says the incoming administration will focus on achieving peace in Ukraine rather than enabling the country to gain back territory occupied by Russia.

Bryan Lanza, who worked on Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, told the BBC the incoming administration would ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his version of a "realistic vision for peace".

"And if President Zelensky comes to the table and says, well we can only have peace if we have Crimea, he shows to us that he's not serious," he said. "Crimea is gone."

A spokesperson for Trump distanced the incoming president from the remarks, saying Mr Lanza "does not speak for him".

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Eight years later, it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has occupied territory in the country's east.

The president-elect has consistently said his priority is to end the war and stem what he characterises as a drain on US resources, in the form of military aid to Ukraine.

But he has yet to divulge how he intends to do so - and will likely be hearing competing visions for Ukraine's future from his various advisers.

Mr Lanza, a Trump political adviser during his 2016 and 2024 campaigns, did not mention areas of eastern Ukraine, but he said regaining Crimea from Russia was unrealistic and "not the goal of the United States".

"When Zelensky says we will only stop this fighting, there will only be peace once Crimea is returned, we've got news for President Zelensky: Crimea is gone," he told the BBC World Service’s Weekend programme.

"And if that is your priority of getting Crimea back and having American soldiers fight to get Crimea back, you're on your own."

The US has never deployed American soldiers to fight in Ukraine, nor has Kyiv requested American troops fight on its behalf. Ukraine has only requested American military aid to arm its own soldiers.

Mr Lanza said he had tremendous respect for the Ukrainian people, whose "hearts are made of lions". But he said the US priority was "peace and to stop the killing".

"What we're going to say to Ukraine is, you know what you see? What do you see as a realistic vision for peace. It's not a vision for winning, but it's a vision for peace. And let's start having the honest conversation," he said.

In response, Zelensky's adviser Dmytro Lytvyn characterised Mr Lanza's remarks as placing the pressure for peace on Ukraine when it was "Putin who wants more war".

"Putin loses most of his people in assaults at the front. What does this indicate? It is obvious that he wants to fight on," he said.

"Ukraine has been offering peace since 2022 - there are quite realistic proposals. And it is Russia that must be made to hear that peace is needed and that peace must be reliable, so that there is simply no repetition of Russian strikes."

A spokesperson for Trump's transition team - which prepares the incoming administration for office - said Mr Lanza was "a contractor for the campaign", but "does not work for President Trump and does not speak for him".

Trump is expected to handle peace talks with a close circle of aides once in office.

An unnamed National Security Council aide who previously served under Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday: "Anyone - no matter how senior in Trump’s circle - who claims to have a different view or more detailed window into his plans on Ukraine simply doesn’t know what he or she is talking about."

They said that the former president "makes his own calls on national security issues" and had done so "many times in the moment".

Trump spoke to Zelensky after his election win, with billionaire Elon Musk also taking part in the call.


www.bbc.com

Trump ally says Ukraine focus must be peace, not territory

Bryan Lanza tells the BBC there needs to be an "honest conversation" with Kyiv and returning Crimea is not a US priority.
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Moscow targeted as Ukraine and Russia trade huge drone attacks

Russia and Ukraine have carried out their largest drone attacks against each other since the start of the war.

Russia's defence ministry said it intercepted 84 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including some approaching Moscow, which forced flights to be diverted from three of the capital's major airports.

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 145 drones towards every part of the country on Saturday night, with most shot down.

The barrages come amid expectations that US president-elect Donald Trump may put pressure on both sides to end the conflict.


www.bbc.com

Moscow targeted as Ukraine and Russia trade huge drone attacks

Both countries say they shot down dozens of drones over their respective territories.
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Trump and Putin 'discuss Ukraine in call' - as Biden to urge president-elect 'not to walk away' from Kyiv​


Donald Trump urged Vladimir Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine in a phone call the day after the presidential election, according to reports.

The US president-elect also reminded the Russian president of America's sizeable military presence in Europe during the conversation on Thursday, according to The Washington Post and Reuters, citing sources familiar with the call.

According to several other sources, the pair went on to discuss the goal of peace on the continent, as well as the prospect of a further call soon to look into the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.

On Friday, the Kremlin said Mr Putin was ready to discuss Ukraine with Mr Trump - but that did not mean he was willing to alter Moscow's demands - namely that Ukraine drops its ambitions to join NATO and surrenders the four territories currently held by Russia.

The Washington Post said two sources indicated the Ukrainian government was informed of the call between Mr Trump and Mr Putin - and did not object to the conversation taking place.

However, Ukraine's foreign ministry said it was "impossible" that Ukraine would have endorsed such a call and that reports otherwise were "false".

When asked about the call, Mr Trump's communications director Steven Cheung said: "We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders."

The Russian embassy in Washington has so far not commented.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden, who will hand over power on 20 January, will warn Mr Trump and Congress not to abandon Ukraine, according to one of the president's top officials.

The president-elect and sitting president will meet on Wednesday in the Oval Office, a week after Mr Trump beat Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the election.

In an interview with CBS News, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: "President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe."

Under Mr Biden, Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars of military and economic aid to Ukraine - funding that Mr Trump, and some of his supporters, have repeatedly criticised and rallied against.

Mr Trump insisted last year that Mr Putin never would have invaded Ukraine if he had been in the White House at the time and has repeatedly said he could settle the war "in one day" if he was re-elected again.

On Sunday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said strength and diplomacy must work together to bring the two-and-a-half-year war to an end.

"We understand very clearly that diplomacy has no prospects without strength," he said.

"But without a clear understanding of diplomatic goals, weapons alone will not do the job. That's why strength and diplomacy must work hand in hand."

It comes as both Russia and Ukraine launched "record" drone attacks on each other overnight on Saturday, injuring a woman and temporarily halting air traffic at some of Russia's busiest airports.

Russia launched 145 drones overnight, according to Ukraine, 62 of which were shot down, as the two countries attacked each other.

Russia's defence ministry said 70 drones were shot down in its territory, including 34 over the outskirts of the capital Moscow.

news.sky.com

Kremlin denies Trump and Putin call discussing Ukraine - as Biden to urge president-elect 'not to walk away' from Kyiv

Reports say the Ukrainian government was aware Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin reportedly spoke on the phone - and didn't object, but its foreign ministry said it was "impossible" Ukraine would have endorsed such a call.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
Zelensky says Russia has 50,000 troops in Kursk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his military's ongoing incursion into Russia's Kursk region is now holding down 50,000 Russian troops.

In his daily address to the nation, Zelensky said the operation was reducing Moscow's ability to attack inside Ukraine itself. The president has long cited this as the goal of the offensive, despite scepticism from some Western allies.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, a US non-profit, Russia had 11,000 troops in Kursk when Ukraine began its shock incursion in early August.

However, a report in the New York Times suggests Moscow has achieved its troop build-up in Kursk without any need to pull its soldiers out of Ukraine.

The paper says North Korean troops are also being deployed in Kursk as part of an imminent Russian counter-offensive.

In his speech, Zelensky said he had been briefed by his Сommander-in-Сhief, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyy, who announced earlier on Monday that he had carried out an inspection of Ukrainian units deployed in Kursk.

"Our men are holding back... 50,000 of the occupier's army personnel who, due to the Kursk operation, cannot be deployed to other Russian offensive directions on our territory," the Ukrainian president said.

Gen Syrskyy said separately that were it not for Ukraine's forces inside Kursk, "tens of thousands of enemies from the best Russian assault units would have been storming" Ukrainian positions in Donetsk region, a key battleground since the conflict erupted a decade ago.

Fighting rages on in Donetsk, where the two sides accused each other on Monday of damaging a dam near the Ukrainian-held town of Kurakhove. Russian troops have been slowly advancing in the region for months towards the key city of Pokrovsk - a major supply hub for Ukrainian forces.

The New York Times, which quotes both US and Ukrainian unnamed officials, puts the number of Russian and North Korean troops being readied for the reported counter-offensive in Kursk at 50,000.

"A new US assessment concludes that Russia has massed the force without having to pull soldiers out of Ukraine’s east - its main battlefield priority - allowing Moscow to press on multiple fronts simultaneously," the paper says.

Both Ukraine and the US say that more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia. Moscow neither confirms nor denies that troops from North Korea, a close ally since Soviet times, are in Kursk.

In North Korea itself, it was announced that its leader, Kim Jong un, had signed a decree ratifying a mutual defence treaty with Russia, which was approved in June at a summit in Pyongyang with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

North Korea and Russia have grown increasingly close since Moscow found itself largely internationally isolated after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The US has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of sending vast amounts of military hardware to Russia, including ballistic missiles and launchers.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte recently suggested that Pyongyang was receiving military technology and other support from Moscow to help it evade international sanctions

Elsewhere, amid much speculation over the impact of Donald Trump's re-election victory last week, the Kremlin has denied media reports that he held a phone call with President Vladimir Putin.

The call, which was first reported by the Washington Post on Sunday, is said to have happened on Thursday. Trump is said to have warned the Russian president against escalating the war in Ukraine and mentioned America's extensive military presence in Europe.

Trump's team told the BBC that it would not comment on the president-elect's "private calls".

BBC
 

Putin told German leader he was willing to resume peace talks, Kremlin says​

The Kremlin has also now confirmed the call between Vladimir Putin and Olaf Scholz, saying it took place "at the initiative of the German side".

"A detailed and frank exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine was held," a statement said.

"Vladimir Putin recalled that the current crisis was a direct result of NATO's long-standing aggressive policy aimed at creating an anti-Russian bridgehead on Ukrainian territory while ignoring our country's interests in the field of security and trampling on the rights of Russian-speaking residents."

It also claimed that Putin was willing to resume negotiations over a peace deal.

"As for the prospects for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict, the Russian president noted that the Russian side has never refused and remains open to resuming negotiations that were interrupted by the Kyiv regime," it said.

It should be noted at this point that a number of analysts have questioned the credibility of Putin's claims that he is willing to negotiate.

The Institute for the Study of War said in July: "The Kremlin routinely feigns interest in meaningful negotiations as part of a longstanding information operation that aims to persuade the West to make concessions on Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty."

The Kremlin statement issued today added that the current state of Russian-German relations was also discussed by the two leaders during the call.

"Vladimir Putin noted their unprecedented degradation in all areas as a consequence of the unfriendly course of the German authorities," it said.

"It was emphasised that Russia has always strictly fulfilled its treaty and contractual obligations in the energy sector and is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation if there is interest in this from the German side."

Sky News
 
Zelenskyy criticises German leader over call to Putin

We are now seeing confirmation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's call with Vladimir Putin today - along with some interesting briefings from the office of Ukraine's president.

According to a source in Volodomyr Zelenskyy's office, he was informed in advance of Scholz's plan to hold the conversation with Putin.

And, the source added, Zelenskyy told the German leader that his call would "help the Russian president by reducing his isolation and ultimately keep the war in Ukraine going".

Again, we'll bring you more reaction to this story as we get it.

Meanwhile, Scholz has posted a photo online of him presumably during the call.

"I spoke to President Putin on the phone and called on him to end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and to withdraw its troops," he said.

"Russia must show a willingness to negotiate with Ukraine - with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace."

Sky News
 
US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration will work hard to end the Russia-Ukraine war

"We're going to work on the Middle East, and we're going to work very hard on Russia and Ukraine. It’s gotta stop. Russia and Ukraine’s gotta stop," Trump said at a gala for the America First Policy Institute at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida.

“I saw a report today. Thousands of people over the last three days were killed. Thousands and thousands were killed. They happened to be soldiers, but whether they’re soldiers or they’re people sitting in towns, we’re going to work it,” he added.

Turning to his election victory last week, Trump said the American people delivered "something very, very amazing."

"The biggest political victory in 129 years...We swept all swing states. We won the popular vote," he said.

He stressed that the country is "doing good" since he was elected on Nov. 5.

"Now the only thing is, Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important, maybe you should pass a bill — you have to start my term from Nov. 5, OK? Or Nov. 6 if you want. Nov. 5, because the market’s gone through the roof, enthusiasm’s doubled in the last short while," he said.

Republicans secured a majority in last week’s election, assuming control of the House and Senate and the White House.

Trump won the election with 312 electoral votes, surpassing the 270 threshold against his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris.

He will be sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2025 for a four-year term.

Source: Anadolu Agency
 

Zelensky says war will 'end sooner' with Trump as president​


Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is certain the war with Russia will “end sooner” than it otherwise would have once Donald Trump becomes US president.

Zelensky said he had a “constructive exchange” with Trump during their phone conversation after his victory in the US presidential election.

He did not say whether Trump had made any demands regarding possible talks with Russia, but said he'd not heard anything from him that was contrary to Ukraine’s position.

Trump has consistently said his priority is to end the war and stop what he says is a drain on US resources, in the form of military aid to Ukraine.

Earlier this year, the US House of Representatives approved a $61bn (£49bn) package in military aid for Ukraine to help combat Russia's invasion.

The US has been the biggest arms supplier to Ukraine - between February 2022 and the end of June 2024, it delivered or committed weapons and equipment worth $55.5bn (£41.5bn), according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research organisation.

“It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.

He added that Ukraine "must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means".

The situation on the battlefield is difficult, with Russian forces making advances, Zelensky said.

Trump and Zelensky have long had a tumultuous relationship. Trump was impeached in 2019 over accusations that he pressured Zelensky to dig up damaging information on the family of US President Joe Biden.

Despite years of differences, Trump has insisted he had a very good relationship with Zelensky.

When the pair met in New York in September, Trump said he “learned a lot” from the meeting and said he would get the war "resolved very quickly".

During the US election campaign, the former president turned president-elect repeatedly pledged to end the war "in a day" - but has yet to divulge how he intends to do so.

His Democratic opponents have accused him of cosying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and say his approach to the war amounts to surrender for Ukraine that will endanger all of Europe.

Earlier this week, Russia denied reports that a call between Putin and Trump took place days after the latter's election win, in which the president-elect is said to have warned against escalating the conflict further.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke with Trump following the US election, told German media that the incoming US leader had a "more nuanced" position on the war than was commonly assumed.

The German leader was criticised by Zelensky over a phone call with Putin - the first in nearly two years - on Friday. Despite Scholz's office saying he reiterated his call to end the war, Zelensky said it weakened the Russian leader's isolation.

www.bbc.com

Zelensky says Ukraine-Russia war will 'end sooner' with Trump as president

The Ukrainian president also said his country "must do everything" to ensure the war ends next year.
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Russia's soldiers bringing wartime violence back home

“I’m a veteran of the special military operation, I’m going to kill you!” were the words Irina heard as she was attacked by a man in Artyom, in Russia’s far east.

She had been returning from a night out when the man kicked her and beat her with his crutch. The force of the strike was so strong that it broke the crutch.

When the police arrived, the man showed them a document proving he had been in Ukraine and claimed that because of his service “nothing will happen to him”.

The attack on Irina is just one of many reported to have been committed by soldiers returning from Ukraine.

Verstka, an independent Russian website, estimates that at least 242 Russians have been killed by soldiers returning from Ukraine. Another 227 have been seriously injured.

Like the man who beat Irina, many of the attackers have previous criminal convictions and were released from prison specifically to join Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The BBC estimates that the Wagner mercenary group recruited more than 48,000 prisoners to fight in Ukraine. When Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash last year, Russia’s defence ministry took over recruitment in prisons.

These cases have severely impacted Russian society, says sociologist Igor Eidman.

"This is a very serious problem, and it can potentially get worse. All the traditional ideas of good and evil are being turned upside down," he told the BBC.

"People who have committed heinous crimes - murderers, rapists, cannibals and paedophiles - they not only avoid punishment by going to war, the unprecedented bit is that they are being hailed as heroes."

There are numerous reasons why Russian soldiers lucky enough to return from the war would think they are above the law.

Official media call them "heroes," and President Vladimir Putin has dubbed them Russia's new "elite". Those recruited into the army from prisons either had their convictions removed or they were pardoned.

It is not unheard of for released convicts return from the war in Ukraine, reoffend and then escape punishment for a second time by going back to the front.

This makes some police officers despair. “Four years ago, I put him away for seven years,” policeman Grigory told the Novaya Gazeta website.

"And here he is in front of me again, saying: 'You won't be able to do anything, officer. Now's our time, the time of those who are shedding blood in the special military operation.'"

Russian courts have routinely used participation in the war against Ukraine as a reason to issue milder sentences.

But many cases don’t even reach court. Moscow has introduced a new law against “discrediting the Russian armed forces,” which has made some victims of crimes by veterans afraid to report them.

Olga Romanova, the head of prisoner rights NGO Russia Behind Bars, says a sense of impunity is driving up crime rates.

"The main consequence is the gap between crime and punishment in the public mind. If you commit a crime, it is far from certain that you are going to be punished," she tells the BBC.

In 2023, the number of serious crimes registered in Russia rose by almost 10%, and in the first half of this year the number of military personnel convicted of crimes more than doubled compared to the same period a year before.

Sociologist Anna Kuleshova argues that violence is becoming more acceptable in Russian society, especially because criminals can now escape punishment by going to war.

"There is a tendency to legalise violence. The idea that violence is a kind of norm will probably spread - violence at school, domestic violence, violence in relationships and as a way to resolve conflicts.

"This is facilitated by the militarisation of society, the turn to conservatism and the romanticisation of war. Violent crimes committed within the country are being atoned by the violence of war."

BBC
 
Zelenskyy reports 'massive combined strike'

The latest Russian attack on Ukraine was a "massive combined strike" on "all regions", Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

The Ukrainian president added that Russian "terrorists" had used "about 120 missiles and 90 drones".

The missiles - cruise, ballistic and aeroballistic - included "zirkons, Iskanders, and daggers", he said.

Drones included Iranian-designed Shaheds.

Ukrainian air defences destroyed more than "140 air targets", Mr Zelenskyy said.

He commented on Telegram: "The enemy's target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine.

"Unfortunately, there is damage to objects from hits and falling debris.

"In Mykolaiv, as a result of a drone attack, two people were killed and six others were injured, including two children.

"My condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased.

"As of now, areas are without power, [and] all the necessary forces are involved in the elimination of consequences and in restoration."

The president said Ukraine's air defences included anti-aircraft missile troops, "pilots of F-16s", and "mobile fire groups".

Sky News
 
In a first, Biden allows Ukraine to strike Russia with U.S. long-range weapons

For the first time, President Biden has given Ukraine the green light to use powerful American long-range weapons for strikes inside Russia, a U.S. official told NPR on Sunday.

The missiles, known as Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, can travel about 190 miles. Their use would enable Ukrainian troops to strike Russia's weapon stockpiles, logistical centers and airfields — which could help stop Russian forces from advancing on the battlefield and attacking Ukrainian cities.

The U.S. official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the decision, said the U.S. is allowing Ukraine to use the weapons to target in and around Kursk — the same region where some 10,000 North Korean troops were recently deployed, according to the U.S. and its allies.



 
Ukraine vows to 'never submit’ as war reaches 1,000th day

Ukraine has said it will never give in to Russia's aggression as it marks 1,000 days since the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of the country.

"Ukraine will never submit to the occupiers, and the Russian military will be punished for violating international law," the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Zelensky will later address a special session of the European Parliament as the country marks the milestone.

It comes as eight people, including a child, were killed in a drone attack on Ukraine's northeastern region of Sumy overnight, where 89 were also killed in a separate strike on Sunday.

The drone attack on a residential building in the small town of Hlukhiv injured 12 people including two children, Ukraine's national police force said.

President Zelensky wrote on X that the building was a dormitory at a local school.

“Russia continues to terrorize our border regions,” Zelensky wrote.

In a video shared by the president, emergency workers could be seen sifting through the rubble as they continued to search for victims on Tuesday morning.

Zelensky said the attack confirmed that Putin "wants the war to continue, he is not interested in talking about peace".

He will address members of the European Parliament via videolink from Kyiv on Tuesday, 1,000 days on from Russia's full-scale invasion of the country on 24 February 2022.

It follows US President Joe Biden's decision to give Ukraine the green light to use long-range missiles supplied by the US to strike Russia on Monday.

Local media earlier reported Zelensky would also unveil an "internal resilience plan" to Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday.

The country's military commander in chief wrote on Telegram that the country had faced 1,000 days of "extremely complex, fierce battle for our existence" and "destroying the enemy".

"In the frozen trenches of Donetsk region and in the burning steppes of Kherson region under shells, hail, and anti-aircraft guns - we are fighting for the right to life."

He added: "Every dark night, even if there are a thousand of them, always ends with dawn."

On Tuesday, the Kremlin approved its updated nuclear doctrine - which says that any aggression from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be regarded as a joint attack on Russia.

It says Russia can use nuclear weapons in the case of a critical threat to its sovereignty, even if only with conventional weapons, an attack on Belarus, or a massive launch of military aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, or other airborne vehicles crossing Russian borders.

Eleven children were among those killed by a separate Russian strike on Sumy late on Sunday, which saw the region’s power cut off and over 400 people evacuated.

Russian missiles and drones also targeted power structure across Ukraine on Sunday, killing at least 10 people and causing blackouts.

The EU's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell Fontelles also said on Tuesday the EU continued to stand with Ukraine, but that it "need[ed] to do more and quicker".

"The European Union will continue to advance support to help achieve victory for Ukraine and to bring peace to our continent," he said in a video shared on X.

"History will judge us based on our actions and reactions," read the caption.

The presenter of Ukraine's United News TV stream, launched at the beginning of the invasion to provide information on the war, said the country was "holding firm - despite the pressure on the front line, the damage to the energy system and the constant bombardment".

Biden's move to allow Ukraine to strike Russia with US-made long-range missiles was welcomed as a step that could redress the balance between both countries' forces.

It is thought that Ukraine was only given permission to use the missiles to defend its forces inside Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise incursion in August and an assault from Russian and Korean troops was expected within days.

BBC
 
They've used a standoff long range weapon to hit nearly a 100 miles into russia

Surely this must be the last act if russia doesn't do something now it's gonna get worse for them .
 
mazkhan said:
They've used a standoff long range weapon to hit nearly a 100 miles into russia

Surely this must be the last act if russia doesn't do something now it's gonna get worse for them .
Click to expand...
Russia is probably going to lay low for a while now. They know their best bet is to wait for Trump to come to power, cut off the supply spigot and force Ukraine to come to the negotiating table.

They also have a severe shortage of manpower to the extent that they're outsourcing part of the ground operations to North Korea.

For now, I'm going to bet they'll stick to drone and missile attacks and suffer whatever Ukraine throws at them in preparation for a spring offensive and a negotiated ceasefire with status quo.
 
Red-Indian said:
Russia is probably going to lay low for a while now. They know their best bet is to wait for Trump to come to power, cut off the supply spigot and force Ukraine to come to the negotiating table.

They also have a severe shortage of manpower to the extent that they're outsourcing part of the ground operations to North Korea.

For now, I'm going to bet they'll stick to drone and missile attacks and suffer whatever Ukraine throws at them in preparation for a spring offensive and a negotiated ceasefire with status quo.
Click to expand...

Russia has millions of people ready to fight. There is no real evidence of NK troops in Russia(near Ukraine border).

Nato want to expand the war before Trump comes in and leave him in a situation where there is no end to the war.

Russia have been very restrained but if these long range missiles fall or kill any large amount of civilians, it will have no choice to retaliate.

The long range Yankee missiles can only be used by Americans.
 
Red-Indian said:
Russia is probably going to lay low for a while now. They know their best bet is to wait for Trump to come to power, cut off the supply spigot and force Ukraine to come to the negotiating table.

They also have a severe shortage of manpower to the extent that they're outsourcing part of the ground operations to North Korea.

For now, I'm going to bet they'll stick to drone and missile attacks and suffer whatever Ukraine throws at them in preparation for a spring offensive and a negotiated ceasefire with status quo.
Click to expand...
LOL
This war is over.
 
Russia warns Ukraine’s ATACMS attacks mark ‘new phase’ of war

Russia has said that Ukraine’s use of long-range ATACMS missiles against its territory marked a “new phase of the Western war” against Moscow, and has said it will react “accordingly”.

Ukraine used the US-made missiles to target a military facility in Russia’s Bryansk border region overnight, Moscow said on Tuesday, just days after Washington gave the green light for Kyiv to use the long-range weapons against Russian targets.

The reported use of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, came as Russian President Vladimir Putin formally lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons, opening the door to a potential nuclear response by Moscow to even a conventional attack by any nation supported by a nuclear power.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Ukraine had struck Russia’s Bryansk region with six missiles, and that air defence systems intercepted five and damaged one.

“This is, of course, a signal that they want to escalate,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at a Group of 20 (G20) news conference in Brazil, said of the attack.



www.aljazeera.com

Russia warns Ukraine’s ATACMS attacks mark ‘new phase’ of war

Warning comes as Putin lowers threshold for using Russia nuclear arsenal in move decried as ‘irresponsible’ by the West.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com
 
Biden agrees to give Ukraine anti-personnel mines

US President Joe Biden has agreed to give Ukraine anti-personnel land mines, a US defence official told the BBC, a move seen as an attempt to slow Russian troops who have been steadily advancing in Ukraine's east in recent months.

The official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said such mines would be delivered soon and Washington expected that they would be used on Ukraine's territory.

Ukraine was also committed to not using such mines in densely-populated areas, the official said.

Separately, the US embassy in Kyiv said it had "received specific information of a potential significant air attack on 20 November".

"Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place," it said in a statement.

"The US embassy recommends US citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced."

Overnight, both Ukraine and Russia reported major drone attacks on their respective territories.

It was not immediately known whether there were any casualties.

The provision of anti-personnel land mines is the latest move by the outgoing US administration to bolster Ukraine's war effort before Donald Trump returns to the White House on 20 January.

Russia has deployed landmines liberally since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but international objections to the use of such weapons on the grounds that they pose a risk to civilians had prevented the Biden administration from signing off on them.

The US defence official confirmed to the BBC that Ukraine had pledged to use only mines that remained active for a limited period of time.

The US "non-persistent" mines differ from Russia's as they become inert after a pre-set period of time - anywhere from four hours to two weeks. They are electrically fused and require battery power to detonate. Once the battery runs out, they will not detonate.

Washington has already been providing anti-tank mines to Ukraine, but the anti-personnel land mines - which can be rapidly deployed - are designed to blunt the advances of ground forces.

Earlier, it was confirmed that US-made longer-range Army Tactical Missile System (Atacms) missiles had struck targets inside Russia only days after reports emerged that the White House had granted permission for their use.

Russia's defence ministry said the strike had targeted the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine to the north on Tuesday morning.

It said five missiles had been shot down and one had caused damage - with its fragments starting a fire at a military facility.

But two US officials said initial indications suggested Russia had intercepted just two missiles out of around eight fired by Ukraine.

The BBC has not been able to verify independently the contradicting figures.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Washington of trying to escalate the conflict.

The Kremlin has vowed to retaliate.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, setting out new conditions under which the country would consider using its arsenal.

It now says an attack from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint assault on Russia.

Commenting on the changes, US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said: "Since the beginning of its war of aggression against Ukraine, [Russia] has sought to coerce and intimidate both Ukraine and other countries around the world through irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and behaviour."

BBC
 
pakistani pride said:
LOL
This war is over.
Click to expand...
Putin's been saying that for 999 days so excuse me if I've stopped holding my breath.

Russia's definitely got the upper hand now and it'll only get better in the next few months but they've paid a heavy price. Estimates vary but the lower range is 70,000 dead solders and many times that injured.

I think I posted this earlier in this forum but I ran into a bunch of young Russian guys in Bali last year. They had left the country to avoid conscription and they told me there were tens of thousands like them.

Both countries have lost a generation of youth in a pointless war. Basically a testing ground for the US and China to flex their muscles.
 
After US Missile, Ukraine Fires UK's 'Storm Shadow' Into Russia: Report

Ukraine's armed forces fired British cruise missiles at military targets inside Russia for the first time, a Western official familiar with the matter said, as the 1,000-day conflict enters a new phase.

The UK approved the use of Storm Shadow missiles in response to Russia deploying North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine, a move the British government considered to be an escalation, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The issue dominated the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Brazil this week after US President Joe Biden gave the go-ahead for Ukraine to fire long-range ATACMS missiles at Russian targets. But Starmer didn't publicly back the move, despite long being seen as an advocate, leading to questions about whether his government would allow the use of British-made Storm Shadows.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has long called for Western governments to bolster military support, including allowing the use of long-range missiles to hit targets in Russia that are crucial to Vladimir Putin's war effort.


www.ndtv.com

After US Missile, Ukraine Fires UK's 'Storm Shadow' Into Russia: Report

Ukraine's armed forces fired British cruise missiles at military targets inside Russia for the first time, a Western official familiar with the matter said, as the 1,000-day conflict enters a new phase.
www.ndtv.com www.ndtv.com
 
US shuts Kyiv embassy citing strike threat after Ukraine fires ATACMS at Russia

The United States shut its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday morning due to what it called the threat of a significant air attack, a day after Ukraine used American missiles to hit a target inside Russia in what Moscow described as an escalation in the war.

Later, after an air raid siren in the early afternoon jangled nerves in the capital, Ukraine's military spy agency said Russia was trying to sow panic by circulating fake online messages about a massive looming missile and drone attack.

"The enemy, unable to subdue Ukrainians by force, resorts to measures of intimidation and psychological pressure on society. We ask you to be vigilant and steadfast," it said.

A U.S. government source said the embassy closure was "related to ongoing threats of air attacks". The Italian and Greek embassies said they too had closed their doors. The French embassy remained open but urged its citizens to be cautious.


 
Red-Indian said:
Putin's been saying that for 999 days so excuse me if I've stopped holding my breath.

Russia's definitely got the upper hand now and it'll only get better in the next few months
Click to expand...

The Russians have controlled 20% of Ukraine since the start of the war. They have what they wanted. This is a huge in for them.
 
Putin warns West as Russia hits Ukraine with new missile

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that an attack by his forces on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday morning was carried out using "a new conventional intermediate-range missile".

He said that the missile, codenamed Oreshnik, was a response to the use by Ukraine of US and UK long-range weaponry to hit targets inside Russia.

Putin added that Russia could attack military facilities of those countries which allowed their weapons to be used for this purpose.

The US and the UK authorised the use of US ATACMS and UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles this week, in a major change of policy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia's use of the new missile was "a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war."

"[This] is yet more proof that Russia has no interest in peace," he wrote on X, adding: "Putin is not only prolonging the war - he is spitting in the face of those in the world who genuinely want peace to be restored."

Earlier, Zelensky said the missile had the characteristics of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), even as Western officials cast doubt on this theory.

The US National Security Council, meanwhile, said "an experimental medium-range ballistic missile" had been used against Ukraine, adding that Russia probably only possessed a handful of these weapons and that they would not be a game changer in the war.

The Pentagon's deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said the US had been notified "briefly" before the missile was launched through Nuclear Risk Reduction channels - which are used to exchange information on issues including missile launch notifications.

Putin said a "test" was successfully carried out on a non-nuclear hypersonic version of a ballistic missile and that the "target was reached".

"In response to the use of American and British long-range weaponry, on 21 November this year, the Russian armed forces carried out a combined strike on one of Ukraine's military-industrial complex sites," he said.

There is no way of counteracting this weapon, which attacks targets at a speed of 10 Mach, or 2.5-3km/s, he said.

And he warned the West that Russia was "ready for any developments. If anyone still doubts this, they shouldn’t. There will always be a response”.

Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at Rusi, a think tank, said available information about the Russian missile suggests something with a longer range than the Iskanders used so far in the conflict, which have a range of up to 500km (311 miles).

Intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) - which Putin appears to have been describing - generally have ranges of between 3,000 and 5,500km.

Savill says the use of such a weapon may not have huge military significance but is symbolically important, coming on the back of Russia's revised nuclear doctrine which many see as a lowering of the threshold for the use of such weapons.

It is, he says, a not so subtle reminder that Russia has a wider arsenal of different and larger missile types and is ready to develop more.

Putin's announcement comes as the war in Ukraine - which marked its 1,000th day on Tuesday - appears to be entering a new, dangerous phase.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its south-western neighbour in February 2022.

Last Sunday US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to strike inside Russia, and two days later they were launched into Russia's Bryansk region.

On Wednesday, Ukraine was reported to have used UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets. On the same day, Biden also agreed to give Ukraine anti-personnel landmines.

The Western moves were apparently in response to Moscow's deployment of North Korean troops as it prepares for an offensive aimed at driving Ukrainian troops out of a small area they have occupied in Russia's Kursk region.

But they also come as Donald Trump prepares to return to the US presidency in two months' time.

Trump has promised to end the US involvement in wars and instead use taxpayers' money to improve Americans' lives. He has said he will bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end within 24 hours, without saying how.

Also this week Putin - seemingly reacting to these moves - ratcheted up the tension still further by loosening the conditions of use for Russia’s nuclear weapons.

And Russia stepped up air strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure, as its ground forces continue their advance in eastern Ukraine.

BBC
 
bones said:
The Russians have controlled 20% of Ukraine since the start of the war. They have what they wanted. This is a huge in for them.
Click to expand...
Sure yes they've capture a 100,000 KM2 sacrificing a 100K young Russian lives - a life per square kilometer. Great going for a massive country that already had 17 Million underpopulated KM2 and a rapidly declining population (fertility rate of 1.4).

Huge win!
 
Red-Indian said:
Sure yes they've capture a 100,000 KM2 sacrificing a 100K young Russian lives - a life per square kilometer. Great going for a massive country that already had 17 Million underpopulated KM2 and a rapidly declining population (fertility rate of 1.4).

Huge win!
Click to expand...

Russia wants to import more people it's looking to bring migrants to populate its large land mass and fill labour shortages

This is great news for indians and central punjabis of pakistan who are spending crores for student visas in uk and working in pepes peri peri shops or petrol station attendants.

Russia is already employing african women in defence factories in tatarstan

Russia and China may become a future area where 3rd world migrants migrate too since even china is now ageing and population declining

Watch this space . You are seeing the decline of western power.
 
That missile attack was deadly it was a dud warheads but the accuracy and speed was a killer imagine if it was armed the destructive power.

It but the clown 🤡 court jester of.ukraine quickly back into his box.

I don't think putin is messing around the warning was there
 
mazkhan said:
Russia wants to import more people it's looking to bring migrants to populate its large land mass and fill labour shortages

This is great news for indians and central punjabis of pakistan who are spending crores for student visas in uk and working in pepes peri peri shops or petrol station attendants.

Russia is already employing african women in defence factories in tatarstan

Russia and China may become a future area where 3rd world migrants migrate too since even china is now ageing and population declining

Watch this space . You are seeing the decline of western power.
Click to expand...
I do agree in some ways. Western power is quite likely on a slow decline. The timing is unpredictable and and could take as long as 50 years but it's coming.

Where I differ is in classifying Russia as more or less a western power. I think Russia's fate is to become a subordinate of China - a sort of resource extraction backyard. They're barely 1/10th of the size of China in economic terms. Once Putin's done, it'll accelerate and within the next 20 years, we'll see Russia pretty much as a Chinese colony. They are already hugely dependant on China for everything. Estimates are half their trade is with China now whereas they're only a small proportion of China's trade. They mostly export raw material - crude, minerals etc. and import manufactured goods. This will only accelerate.
 
Red-Indian said:
Sure yes they've capture a 100,000 KM2 sacrificing a 100K young Russian lives - a life per square kilometer. Great going for a massive country that already had 17 Million underpopulated KM2 and a rapidly declining population (fertility rate of 1.4).

Huge win!
Click to expand...
Perhaps you don't know what type of land they've captured, I'll give you a hint. It's absolutely loaded with resources, it's one of the most resource rich areas of Europe. It has potentially hundreds of billions of $ worth of resources.

Yes huge win.

We still don't know what the terms of Ukraine's surrender will be.
 
rpant_gabba said:
why do islamists support russia but oppose israel? I can understand hating Israel and US, but what did ukraine do?

Is this impy becos Russia opposes US and therefore are worthy of support
Click to expand...
I have been searching for an answer to that too and the closest I am able to arrive at is not what you stated; Russia may be opposed to the United States but it has consistently been supportive of Bashar Assad who is an absolute tyrant, a number of Russian oligarchs hold dual Israeli and Russian passports, and Russia has a history of terrorizing states that have a majority Muslim population such as Chechnya.

The best explanation I have is a combination of:
  1. The leader of Ukraine is jewish, even though he is not an observant Jew.
  2. Some tyrants such as Kahadrov who are Muslim are supportive of the Russian invasion.
  3. Russia is seen as a counterbalance to NATO that is assumed to be pro Israel, even though except for the United States every NATO state has been a vocal supporter of the two state solution and periodically lends support to the displaced Palestinians.
  4. There is a general hostility to democratic institutions amongst Islamists who by default gravitate towards authoritarian rule. This explains how they overlook that Russia’s biggest ally, China is committing a genocide against the Muslims in Uygur.
 
mazkhan said:
Russia wants to import more people it's looking to bring migrants to populate its large land mass and fill labour shortages

This is great news for indians and central punjabis of pakistan who are spending crores for student visas in uk and working in pepes peri peri shops or petrol station attendants.

Russia is already employing african women in defence factories in tatarstan

Russia and China may become a future area where 3rd world migrants migrate too since even china is now ageing and population declining

Watch this space . You are seeing the decline of western power.
Click to expand...
By that sound logic the future immigration destination should be Australia or Canada as they are the most sparsely populated regions of the world.

I think you need to examine the economic reasons for why people immigrate to a certain region. Also understand that people traveling on a student visa are not immigrating, though they may eventually adopt the citizenship of their destination state. Finally does the destination state arm the workers with a disposal income that gives them adequate purchasing power in their original country? Is there a pathway to economic class progression?

The answer to the above with regards to current Russia is a vehement no. Not to mention with the limitation of participation in global financial institution, remittances from Russia to India or elsewhere remain constrained.

Personally I believe the ideal destination for specialized labor such as engineers, doctors etc still remains the United States with its significantly higher disposable income. However after having lived here most of my life I do not believe it’s the ideal state to raise a family. Between housing costs, healthcare costs, schooling (college or private school), and a burgeoning need to save for retirement, there is not much left by the way of disposable income. Similarly, for those on a student visa, Denmark or Germany are ideal as they both conduct education in English, have low to no education costs, and have no healthcare costs either. Housing costs are high though.
 
captain.hansolo said:
I have been searching for an answer to that too and the closest I am able to arrive at is not what you stated; Russia may be opposed to the United States but it has consistently been supportive of Bashar Assad who is an absolute tyrant, a number of Russian oligarchs hold dual Israeli and Russian passports, and Russia has a history of terrorizing states that have a majority Muslim population such as Chechnya.

The best explanation I have is a combination of:
  1. The leader of Ukraine is jewish, even though he is not an observant Jew.
  2. Some tyrants such as Kahadrov who are Muslim are supportive of the Russian invasion.
  3. Russia is seen as a counterbalance to NATO that is assumed to be pro Israel, even though except for the United States every NATO state has been a vocal supporter of the two state solution and periodically lends support to the displaced Palestinians.
  4. There is a general hostility to democratic institutions amongst Islamists who by default gravitate towards authoritarian rule. This explains how they overlook that Russia’s biggest ally, China is committing a genocide against the Muslims in Uygur.
Click to expand...

Reading this rubbish, you'll be searching for many things for the rest of you life.

Its pretty simple even for a 10 year old. Some Brits support Russia and not Israel, Some Yanks do the same , some Muslims the same and some Hindu extremists are the opposite, they bend over for Israel and Russia and anyone else who isnt a Muslim. Hope your search is over.
 
KingKhanWC said:

One of the most important speeches in your lifetime.

What a leader.
Click to expand...
It feels like Putin and Netanyahu are virtually twins. I always used to assume anyone who adores one also loved the other.

On this forum I notice there are quite a few who are fans of Putin but not Netanyahu. It's a bit strange.
 
Red-Indian said:
It feels like Putin and Netanyahu are virtually twins. I always used to assume anyone who adores one also loved the other.

On this forum I notice there are quite a few who are fans of Putin but not Netanyahu. It's a bit strange.
Click to expand...
The only validation Netanyahu has over Putin is that he was democratically elected. Somehow the world over the opposition to the incumbent spurred him to power and he has abused it ever since. Putin well is a full despot.
 
Putin warns West as Russia hits Ukraine with new missile

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that an attack by his forces on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday morning was carried out using "a new conventional intermediate-range missile".

He said that the missile, codenamed Oreshnik, was a response to the use by Ukraine of US and UK long-range weaponry to hit targets inside Russia.

Putin added that Russia could attack military facilities of those countries which allowed their weapons to be used for this purpose.

The US and the UK authorised the use of US ATACMS and UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles this week, in a major change of policy.


www.bbc.com

Russia Ukraine war: Putin warns West as 'new missile' fired

Russia's president says the attack on Dnipro is a response to Ukraine's use of long-range US and UK weaponry.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Cricket Warrior said:
Putin warns West as Russia hits Ukraine with new missile

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that an attack by his forces on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday morning was carried out using "a new conventional intermediate-range missile".

He said that the missile, codenamed Oreshnik, was a response to the use by Ukraine of US and UK long-range weaponry to hit targets inside Russia.

Putin added that Russia could attack military facilities of those countries which allowed their weapons to be used for this purpose.

The US and the UK authorised the use of US ATACMS and UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles this week, in a major change of policy.


www.bbc.com

Russia Ukraine war: Putin warns West as 'new missile' fired

Russia's president says the attack on Dnipro is a response to Ukraine's use of long-range US and UK weaponry.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
Click to expand...
The short stack despot has been warning since 2014. He sounds a lot like the awww shucks pantomime with an upturned brow and shaking his fist at the wrist. France is just on pins and needles for when they can deploy troops and Poland has a 70 year old debt to settle. The moment this clowncar furthers the conflict his so called allies of china and Iran will defect.
 
Red-Indian said:
I do agree in some ways. Western power is quite likely on a slow decline. The timing is unpredictable and and could take as long as 50 years but it's coming.

Where I differ is in classifying Russia as more or less a western power. I think Russia's fate is to become a subordinate of China - a sort of resource extraction backyard. They're barely 1/10th of the size of China in economic terms. Once Putin's done, it'll accelerate and within the next 20 years, we'll see Russia pretty much as a Chinese colony. They are already hugely dependant on China for everything. Estimates are half their trade is with China now whereas they're only a small proportion of China's trade. They mostly export raw material - crude, minerals etc. and import manufactured goods. This will only accelerate.
Click to expand...
If you look at Mongolia and Burma, that model persists. This is the colonist model, except now instead of direct occupation and subjugation the colonization is through economic means; whether it’s china with Mongolia and North Korea or France with Mali and Chad, or United States with American Samoa, or Australia with Naru… same story different day.

I had wondered why Pakistan did not go the way of Mongolia and become a satellite state of china, and I can only argue that maybe the infrastructure for resource extraction were not adequately developed and some tribalism and good old self agency prevented the Pakistanis from letting a foreign power steamroll them.
 
Putin says Russia will use new missile again in 'combat conditions'

Russia has a stock of powerful new missiles "ready to be used", President Vladimir Putin has said, a day after his country fired a new ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

In an unscheduled TV address, the Russian leader said the Oreshnik missile could not be intercepted and promised to carry out more tests, including in "combat conditions".

Russia's use of the Oreshnik capped a week of escalation in the war that also saw Ukraine fire US and British missiles into Russia for the first time.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for world leaders to give a "serious response" so that Putin "feels the real consequences of his actions".

His country was asking Western partners for updated air defence systems, he added.

According to news agency Interfax-Ukraine, Kyiv is seeking to obtain the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), or to upgrade its Patriot anti-ballistic missile defence systems.

In Friday's address Putin said the Oreshnik hypersonic missiles flew at 10 times the speed of sound and ordered them to be put into production. He had earlier said that use of the missile was a response to Ukraine's use of Storm Shadow and Atacms missiles.

Thursday's strike on Dnipro was described as unusual by eyewitnesses and triggered explosions which went on for three hours.

The attack included a strike by a missile so powerful that in the aftermath Ukrainian officials said it resembled an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Justin Crump, CEO and founder of the risk advisory company Sibylline, told the BBC that Moscow likely used the strike as a warning, noting that the missile - which is faster and more advanced that others in its arsenal - has the capacity to seriously challenge Ukraine's air defences.

This week's escalation has also prompted several warnings from other world leaders about the direction of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the war was entering a decisive stage - with a real risk of global conflict.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban meanwhile said the West should take Vladimir Putin's warnings "at face value" because Russia "bases its policies primarily on military power".

And North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un warned "never before" had the threat of a nuclear war been greater and accused the US of having an "aggressive and hostile" policy towards Pyongyang.

North Korea has sent thousands of troops to fight on Russia's side and Ukrainian forces have reported clashes with them in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops are occupying some territory.

US President Biden has said he gave Ukraine permission to use longer-range Atacms missiles against targets inside Russia as a response to Moscow's use of North Korean troops.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both countries are now trying to secure a battlefield advantage before Donald Trump becomes US president in January.

Trump has vowed to end the war within hours but has not provided details as to how.

In his nightly address, Zelensky also criticised China for its response to Moscow's new missile after China's foreign ministry said all parties should "remain calm and exercise restraint".

"From Russia, this is a mockery of the position of states such as China, states of the Global South, some leaders who call for restraint every time," he said.

He also criticised the Ukrainian parliament for postponing a session on Friday over security concerns following the attack on Dnipro.

In a post on Telegram, he said unless an air raid signal sounded everyone should work as normal - and not take Russian threats as "permission to have a day off".

"The siren sounds - we go to shelter. When there is no siren - we work and serve. There is no other way in war," he said.

BBC
 
Red-Indian said:
It feels like Putin and Netanyahu are virtually twins. I always used to assume anyone who adores one also loved the other.

On this forum I notice there are quite a few who are fans of Putin but not Netanyahu. It's a bit strange.
Click to expand...
One of them is deliberately targeting civilians, the other isn't. One of them has gone out of their way to limit collateral damage. The other cries anti semitism every time someone speaks out.
 
bones said:
One of them is deliberately targeting civilians, the other isn't. One of them has gone out of their way to limit collateral damage. The other cries anti semitism every time someone speaks out.
Click to expand...
Nah minor technical differences. One killed ~30,000 civilians. The other around ~12,000. Both don't really have any aim but just enjoy oppressing weaker nations. One claims anti-semitism, the other some vague insults.

I suppose you're a fan of both but most of the world considers both as monsters.
 
Red-Indian said:
Nah minor technical differences. One killed ~30,000 civilians. The other around ~12,000. Both don't really have any aim but just enjoy oppressing weaker nations. One claims anti-semitism, the other some vague insults.

I suppose you're a fan of both but most of the world considers both as monsters.
Click to expand...
Most of the world considers Netanyahu a monster. Just look at some of the statements from his cabinet about Arabs and Palestinians. Has any Russian serving cabinet said such derogatory things about Ukraine?

The western world considers Putin an evil monster but the rest of the world sees him as someone who is fed up with western promises. Remember when they said NATO would not expand to Gorbachev?
 
bones said:
Most of the world considers Netanyahu a monster. Just look at some of the statements from his cabinet about Arabs and Palestinians. Has any Russian serving cabinet said such derogatory things about Ukraine?

The western world considers Putin an evil monster but the rest of the world sees him as someone who is fed up with western promises. Remember when they said NATO would not expand to Gorbachev?
Click to expand...
Yes I agree both of them had excuses to begin their savagery. One had a terrorist attack on his nation. The other had promises broken to him to him that his neighbour wouldn't join a rival military alliance.

They gleefully used these excuses to start murdering innocent civilians, sacrifice their own soldiers and grab strategic territory.

As far as saying derogatory things about Ukraine, it hardly matters when Putin himself claims Ukraine shouldn't exist as a nation at all.

Only guys like you admire them. Personally, I recognise that some of their moves may be strategically brilliant but despise them for their disregard for human lives and their fascist authoritarian tendencies.
 
Red-Indian said:
Yes I agree both of them had excuses to begin their savagery. One had a terrorist attack on his nation. The other had promises broken to him to him that his neighbour wouldn't join a rival military alliance.

They gleefully used these excuses to start murdering innocent civilians, sacrifice their own soldiers and grab strategic territory.

As far as saying derogatory things about Ukraine, it hardly matters when Putin himself claims Ukraine shouldn't exist as a nation at all.

Only guys like you admire them. Personally, I recognise that some of their moves may be strategically brilliant but despise them for their disregard for human lives and their fascist authoritarian tendencies.
Click to expand...
One is pure evil, the other not and that's my opinion. You think otherwise, good for you.

As for What Putin said about Ukraine, he said the country perhaps shouldn't exist, but he didn't say anything derogatory about their people. Nor has his cabinet.

You don't have to dig very deep to find some of the most nasty statements from the Israeli cabinet about Palestinians and Arabs.

That's the difference, one has an issue with the country perhaps, the other has an issue with the people. You tell me tell which is worse.
 
bones said:
One is pure evil, the other not and that's my opinion. You think otherwise, good for you.

As for What Putin said about Ukraine, he said the country perhaps shouldn't exist, but he didn't say anything derogatory about their people. Nor has his cabinet.

You don't have to dig very deep to find some of the most nasty statements from the Israeli cabinet about Palestinians and Arabs.

That's the difference, one has an issue with the country perhaps, the other has an issue with the people. You tell me tell which is worse.
Click to expand...
Yes I initially took you for one of those rabid rightist/Hindutva types who adores all authoritarian dictators and idolises both Netanyahu and Putin.

I now realise you only support some types of murder and savagery. Only when the territory is really juicy and full of natural resources and the excuse to murder innocents is betrayal.

Personally I'm not really interested in discussing minor technical differences between these power-mad, murderers. I've already acknowledged that they're both strategic masterminds and itself makes me feel unclean and needing a bath.
 
Red-Indian said:
It feels like Putin and Netanyahu are virtually twins. I always used to assume anyone who adores one also loved the other.

On this forum I notice there are quite a few who are fans of Putin but not Netanyahu. It's a bit strange.
Click to expand...

It's not just this forum.

The whole western world has the same hypocrisy ( just in reverse).
 
DeadlyVenom said:
It's not just this forum.

The whole western world has the same hypocrisy ( just in reverse).
Click to expand...
I don't think it's support for Netanyahu as much as a sort of prejudice against the Palestinians and bias for Israel as 'people like us'.

Putin on the other hand seems to have a personal fan club. Usually young guys who vaguely adore him as a strong leader. It cuts across countries, religions etc. It's a bit like teenage girls and manufactured K-pop stars.
 

NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia's hypersonic missile attack​

NATO and Ukraine are set to hold emergency talks after Russia attacked a military facility in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro using an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile.

NATO and Ukraine are to hold emergency talks on Tuesday next week, after an attack with intermediate-range Oreshnik missile hit a military facility in central Ukraine. The event was an escalation of the war, which Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said is "entering a decisive phase" and "taking on very dramatic dimensions" as it nears 33 months in duration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on Friday that the missile attack was in response to Ukraine using longer-range missiles capable of striking further into Russian territory, which had been provided by the US and Britain.

Putin also claimed that "No one in the world has such weapons", and that Western air defence systems would be unable to stop the new missile. He added that testing of the missile would continue, "including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia, and that there is "a stockpile of such systems ready for use."

The Ukrainian parliament cancelled a session as a security measure after the attack was carried out on Thursday. Military officials in the country said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six non-nuclear warheads, with each releasing six submunitions.

www.euronews.com

NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia missile attack

NATO and Ukraine are set to hold emergency talks after Russia attacked a military facility in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro using an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile. #EuropeNews
www.euronews.com www.euronews.com
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on its Western partners to concentrate their efforts on helping provide an air defence system to protect people

Russia will soon name Alexander Darchiev, currently head of the Foreign Ministry’s North American department, as its new ambassador to Washington, the Kommersant newspaper reported.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has slammed the “renewed threat” of antipersonnel landmines, days after the US said it would supply the weapons to Ukrainian forces battling Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine has shown journalists fragments of the Russian missile used to strike the city of Dnipro last week, after Moscow said it had tested its new Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that allows those who sign up to fight in Ukraine to write off unpaid debts worth almost $100,000, the government announced.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
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