Corroborating kyiv’s accusations, the United States confirmed Tuesday that North Korean troops were “engaged in combat operations” alongside Russian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, a small part of which is occupied by Ukrainian forces. . American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose days are numbered at the head of American diplomacy, is due to meet this Wednesday, November 13 in Brussels with NATO and European Union officials in order to accelerate aid to Ukraine, potentially threatened by the return of Donald Trump to power.
Information to remember:
⇒ North Korean troops are engaged in combat operations on the front
⇒ In Brussels, Antony Blinken promised a “firm response” to this involvement in the conflict
⇒ Russia intensifies air attacks on kyiv
Washington promises “firm” response to North Korean involvement in Ukraine war
American Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised this Wednesday in Brussels a “firm” response to North Korea’s involvement alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine. “The North Korean forces engaged in battle and, now, literally in combat: this new element demands a firm response and it will be,” he declared to the press, alongside the secretary general of the NATO Mark Rutte.
The United States has confirmed that North Korean troops are engaged in combat operations in Russia’s Kursk region, a small part of which is occupied by Ukrainian forces. “I can confirm that more than 10,000 North Korean troops were sent to Russia, most of them arriving in the Kursk region, where they began engaging in combat operations with Russian forces,” said Tuesday the spokesperson for the American State Department, Vedant Patel, emphasizing the “concern” of the United States about this alliance.
Antony Blinken, whose days are numbered at the head of American diplomacy, is making a whirlwind visit to Brussels. His trip takes on an urgent nature, against a backdrop of concerns from Ukraine and many capitals on the Old Continent about the sustainability of support for kyiv after the re-election of Donald Trump, to which is added a political crisis in Germany. After his visit to NATO headquarters, he must see his Ukrainian counterpart Andriï Sybiga. He will also meet with Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy, and Kaja Kallas, who will succeed him in a few weeks.
Russia intensifies air attacks on kyiv
The Ukrainian capital kyiv was targeted at dawn this Wednesday by a combined Russian missile and drone attack, for the first time in two months. Russia has significantly stepped up drone raids on kyiv, carrying them out almost daily since early October, but this is the first time in more than two months that missiles have been fired at the Ukrainian capital at the same time. “The Russian armed forces launched a combined missile and drone attack against kyiv. The first time in 73 days,” noted the military administration of this city, populated by three million inhabitants before the war and which is located hundreds of kilometers from the front.
According to this source, Moscow used ballistic and cruise missiles in addition to drones for this operation which “lasted more than two hours” but which did not cause any deaths thanks to the action of the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense. An initial report shows a person injured by falling debris from a projectile shot above Brovary, a suburb of the capital. Drones also struck the southern town of Beryslav, killing a 52-year-old woman, regional authorities reported. In total, according to the Air Force, six missiles and 90 drones targeted the regions of kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkassy, Zaporizhia, Cherniguiv and Kirovograd during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Only the Zaporizhia region is located on the front. The same source confirmed that two cruise missiles, two ballistic missiles and 37 drones could have been destroyed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the nighttime attacks against his country, once again denounced “Russian terrorism” and praised the “effective” response of the anti-aircraft defense. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, for his part, reiterated that the Russian army was only hitting “military targets”, in response to a question about the increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine.
kyiv worries about Russian assault on southern front
Russia has reinforced its military contingent and intensified its bombings in anticipation of an assault on the southern front, where positions have remained largely unchanged in recent months, a Ukrainian military spokesperson assured Tuesday. A Russian offensive in the southern region of Zaporizhia would pose a challenge for the Ukrainian army, already struggling on the eastern front and still engaged in an incursion into the Russian region of Kursk, on the northern border.
“The Russians have been preparing for some time, for several weeks, to carry out assault operations in several directions, in particular in the direction of Zaporizhia,” Vladyslav Volochyn, army spokesperson, told AFP. Ukrainian in the southern sector. He specified that the Russian army was strengthening its troops, particularly in the sectors of Vremivka, Gulyaïpole and Robotyné. “Every day, it carries out aerial and technical reconnaissance there, and restocks with ammunition. For several weeks, the enemy has been preparing to use armored vehicles,” he continued. Vladyslav Voloshyn refused to give the number of Russian soldiers gathered in this sector of the front, but according to him, small groups are already launching several attacks every day. He assured that Ukrainian forces have strengthened their defense lines and are ready to repel a large-scale assault.