Key developments on Oct. 21: * US announces $400 million defense aid package for Ukraine * Russia detains 18 North Korean soldiers who left positions in Kursk Oblast, source says * Kremlin calls North Korean troops reports 'contradictory' but stops short of denial * Russia attacking toward town near Pokrovsk, National Guard says * Ukraine
Russian authorities detained 18 North Korean soldiers who abandoned their positions in Russia's Kursk Oblast, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 21.
The returned prisoners also reportedly included some mobilized Russian fighters and contract soldiers, including kadyrovtsy, the notoriously ruthless troops named for Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.
Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security published a video that purportedly shows North Korean soldiers in a Russian military camp preparing to join Moscow's war effort against Ukraine.
Ukraine's military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov said the first group of 2,600 soldiers will be deployed to Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine began a cross-border incision in August and still holds significant swathes of territory.
Key developments on Oct. 14: * Russian Tu-134 transport aircraft set ablaze over 1,000 km from Ukraine, military intelligence claims * Russia claims capture of Zaporizhzhia Oblast village, Kyiv says 'situation dynamic' * Over 110,000 residents of Kursk Oblast evacuated, Russia's chief ombudsman claims * First Ukrainian troops crossed into Kursk Oblast
Russian pro-war milbloggers have reacted to yet more reports of Ukrainian POWs being executed by Moscow’s forces by seeking to justify the killings, while some have even called for more. In the latest case of what appears to be an increasingly common occurrence, Russian troops reportedly shot dead nine
One Ukrainian company sneaked in Kursk Oblast in groups of six soldiers and hid in the forest, Pavlo Rozlach, Ukraine's 80th Air Assault Brigade's commander, said.
Speaking to the Kremlin-controlled outlet Argumenty i Fakty, the official said that this number includes 12,328 people placed at temporary facilities across Russia and around 100,000 living with relatives and friends.
Key developments on Oct. 13: * Ukraine is holding front line in Kursk Oblast despite Russian attacks, Zelensky says * Prosecutors open investigation into alleged killing of 9 POWs by Russians in Kursk Oblast * Russia's illegal use of Starlink terminals hastened fall of Vuhledar, WP reports * Zelensky: Russia has used around 900
The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explains the top stories of the week, from the postponement of the Ramstein summit to the two-month anniversary of Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Kursk Oblast.
"There were attempts by Russia to push back our positions. But we are holding the defined lines," he said.
A Ukrainian official commented that the "Russian plan in Kursk Oblast has been thwarted so far" as Russian forces suffered losses.
"We know about roughly 50,000 soldiers from other sectors who were transferred to the Kursk direction," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a documentary aired on national television.
The reliable flow of supplies into the region and Russia's focus on eastern Ukraine will allow Kyiv to hold territory in Kursk Oblast for months to come, senior U.S. officials said.
Key developments on Oct. 4: * Oil depots on fire in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, Perm Krai * Russian forces less than 7 km away from Pokrovsk, authorities say * At least 177 Ukrainian POWs have died in Russian captivity, Kyiv says * EU readies to sanction Iran over missile shipments to Russia, Bloomberg reports
During the visit, President Volodymyr Zelensky also met with the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to discuss protecting infrastructure, Ukraine's energy sector, and air defenses.
Key developments on Oct. 3: * Ukrainian drones strike Russian airfield in Voronezh Oblast, SBU source says * Zelensky calls for jointly intercepting Russian missiles during NATO chief Rutte's visit to Kyiv * Russia attacking Kursk Oblast settlements with no Ukrainian troops present, Kyiv's military claims * Ukraine receives Patriot air defense system from
Kursk Oblast Governor Alexei Smirnov claimed that a Ukrainian drone was neutralized by electronic warfare means near Kurchatov. Its fall allegedly caused explosions at an outbuilding not related to the nuclear plant.
"The local population doesn't understand why they are being hit (by Russian forces) because the (Ukrainian) military is not even nearby," Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Operational Tactical Group Siversk, said.
"This is the second successful operation to break through the Russian border since the beginning of the operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast," Ukraine's 95th Separate Polesian Air Assault Brigade said.
"I'm not saying it's a resounding success or will bring about the end of the war or the end of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. What it has done is show our partners what we're capable of," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
While the earlier warnings were largely vague, they grew increasingly more detailed — including specific threats that Ukraine would try to seize the town of Sudzha — a warning that was realized after Ukraine captured it in August.
Key developments on Sept. 19: * Russian attack on retirement home in Sumy kills at least 1, injures 14 * Russia redeploys 40,000 troops to Kursk Oblast as Kyiv's incursion continues, Zelensky says * European Parliament backs Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, Taurus missiles delivery * Russia mining dams in Belgorod Oblast, Ukraine's military
The number of Russian troops pulled over to Kursk Oblast, announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky in early September, was higher — 60,000.
"(Russia) tried to attack from the flanks, but they were stopped there," spokesperson Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi told AFP.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Sept. 17 that it had repelled Ukraine's new attempts to cross into Russia's Kursk Oblast west of the currently controlled territories.
Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Operational Tactical Group Siversk, said that the attacks would have continued even if Ukraine had not advanced in the Kursk sector of the front line.
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