Russia will deploy North Korean troops to the combat zone on October 27-28, Kiev says

Key developments on October 25:

Russia will deploy North Korean troops to the combat zone on October 27-28, Zelensky says
Russia has suffered 17,800 casualties since the beginning of the Kursk incursion, Syrskyi claims
Russia “doesn’t plan any concessions,” says Putin on peace talks with Ukraine
Poland rules out the transfer to Ukraine of recently purchased South Korean weapons
Ukraine hits Russian Buk air defense, destroys radar guidance system

Russia plans to send the first North Korean soldiers to the combat zone on October 27-28, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 25, citing intelligence reports.

Speaking after a regular meeting with his top military and civilian officials, Zelensky called the move an “obvious step toward escalation” that contrasted with “the disinformation we’ve been hearing from the Kremlin in recent days.”

“The world can clearly see what Russia really wants, which is to continue the war. That’s why we need a strong and principled reaction from world leaders,” Zelensky. said.

The president called on the West to put “tangible pressure” on both Moscow and Pyongyang to respect the UN Charter and punish the escalation.

North Korea sent almost 12,000 soldiers to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) said.

The first soldiers to join the Russian forces in the war against Ukraine have been sent Kursk regionwhere Ukraine began a cross-border incursion in August and still holds significant areas of territory.

Zelensky also said after the meeting that Ukraine has established a buffer zone in Kursk Oblast that prevents Russia from expanding the war into more eastern Ukrainian territories.

Following several reports by Ukraine and South Korea, the US recognized that North Korean troops were arriving in Russia.

“What exactly they do remains to be seen,” said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, leaving room for doubt.

In exchange for the transfer of soldiers and weapons, Russia is helping Pyongyang avoid sanctions and develop its nuclear capabilities, according to the HUR chief. Kyrylo Budanov.

`Russia has suffered 17,800 casualties since start of Kursk incursion, Syrskyi claims`

Ukrainian forces have killed, wounded or captured 17,819 Russian soldiers in the Kursk region since the first days of Kiev’s incursion, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed on October 25.

According to the general, a total of 6,662 Russian servicemen have been killed, 10,446 wounded and 711 captured since August 8.

Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion in Kursk Oblast on August 6, claiming to have initially seized about 1,300 square kilometers (500 sq mi), but recently facing increasing pressure as Russia pulls in reinforcements.

Syrskyi rejected the Russian president Vladimir Putinclaims made during the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 24 that approximately 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in Kursk region.

“This is total misinformation that does not reflect the real situation,” Syrskyi said said.

“Ukrainian troops continue active operations in the direction of Kursk, destroying the combat potential of the enemy for the third month in a row.”

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

The reports came a few days after the first north korea the soldiers would have been deployed alongside Russian forces on the front line in the Kursk region. North Korea sent almost 12,000 soldiers to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia plans to send the first North Korean soldiers to a combat zone on October 27-28.

`Russia 'not planning any concessions,' Putin says on peace talks with Ukraine`

Any peace deal to end Russia’s war with Ukraine must be in Moscow’s favor, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with state media on October 25.

Ahead of Ukraine’s first peace summit in June, Putin outlined terms for the talks, which included Kiev handing over four regions illegally claimed by Moscow in September 2022. Since then, Russia has said it will not engage in talks as long while Ukrainian forces remain in Kursk region.

“Any outcome has to be in Russia’s favor, I say straight, without any embarrassment, and it has to be based on the realities on the battlefield. And without a doubt, we will not make any concessions here; there will be no trade-offs,” he said Little.

At the beginning of the large-scale invasion, Ukraine and Russia took place discussions in Istanbul in March 2022, but the negotiations were eventually abandoned after the Ukrainian retook the north of the country and mass war crimes were discovered in the liberated areas.

In comments at the Ukraine Peace Summit in June this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Istanbul talks had failed because of “ultimatums” from the Russian side.

Moscow he was not invited to Summit in June in Switzerland, attended by over 90 countriesdismissing discussions as irrelevant without her involvement. Following the event, Zelensky expressed hope for a follow-up meeting by the end of the year with the aim of a including Russia.

However, Moscow announced it would not participate in any future iterations of the Swiss-hosted peace summit, labeling the process a “fraud.”

`Poland rules out transferring recently-purchased South Korean weapons to Ukraine`

Polish President Andrzej Duda denied the possibility of transferring to Kiev the weapons systems purchased in Warsaw from South Korea, Polish media RMF24 reported on October 25.

South Korea the law prohibits arms exports to areas of active conflict, but Seoul has repeatedly suggested that this could change in light of deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Duda said he had discussed the possible transfer of South Korean weapons with Kiev, but that his response to the allies was “unequivocal”.

“There is no scenario in which we hand over the weapons we recently bought for billions of zlotys from our taxpayers’ pockets. These weapons must serve the security and defense of the Republic of Poland,” mulberry he said during his visit to South Korea.

If Seoul agrees to supply weapons to Ukraine, they will not be from the stockpile intended for Poland, Duda added.

North Korea sent almost 12,000 soldiers to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 25 that Russia plans to send the first North Korean soldiers to the combat zone on October 27-28.

In exchange for the transfer of soldiers and weapons, Russia is helping Pyongyang avoid sanctions and develop its nuclear capabilities, according to the HUR chief. Kyrylo Budanov.

`Ukraine strikes Russian Buk air defenses, destroys radar guidance system`

Ukrainian forces destroyed the radar guidance equipment of a Buk-M2 air defense system and hit a Buk-M3 system overnight on October 25 in the occupied area of Luhansk Oblast, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

The attack was carried out by UkraineUnmanned Systems Forces and other military units. The General Staff he did not elaborate on possible damage other than the destroyed guidance system.

The Russian targets were hit “several tens of kilometers behind the front line,” the statement said.

The Buk is a family of medium-range self-propelled air defense systems developed in the 1970s in the Soviet Union. The Buk-M2 and M3 are upgraded variants capable of shooting down aerial targets such as tactical ballistic missiles at a range of 50 and 65 kilometers (30 and 40 miles), respectively.

Russian proxy forces used a Buk missile to shoot down Malaysian airliner MH17 over the Donetsk region on July 17, 2014, in the early months of the Donbas war.

Ukraine previously destroyed a Buk-M3 system overnight on October 21said the soldiers.

Ukrainian forces destroyed 982 Russian anti-aircraft systems throughout the full-scale war, the General Staff announced. morning report on October 25.