Key developments on June 19: * Russia accidentally admits to its staggering troop losses in Ukraine * Ukraine, Russia carry out another POW exchange under Istanbul deal * North Korea considers sending 25,000 workers to Russia to help produce Shahed drones, media reports * Zelensky appoints Brigadier General Shapovalov as new Ground Forces
In return, Pyongyang is reportedly seeking drone operation training.
The conversations took place just hours after Russia launched its own missile and drone assault on Ukraine.
Shahed drones could enable North Korea to strike targets across South Korea, potentially overwhelming air defenses, and could also assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed that his country "unconditionally supports the stand of Russia and its foreign policies."
China's reaction follows remarks by the head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleh Ivashchenko, about Beijing allegedly providing defense components to 20 Russian military-industrial manufacturing facilities.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
The move represents an apparent violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions passed in the wake of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests.
The 4.7-kilometer (3 miles) road bridge will span the Tumen River and cross the border between Russia and North Korea.
The Russian state news agency TASS published a video on April 28 that purports to show North Korean troops who fought alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast training in Russia.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian rejected the claims at a regular news conference, saying China has never made lethal weapons available to any party in the war.
A South Korean think tank suggests North Korea prefers "in-kind and technical assistance" that enhances its own defense industry and supports its long-term strategic goals.
The majority of artillery shells used by Russian forces in Ukraine in 2024 were manufactured in North Korea, according to a joint investigation by Reuters and the Open Source Center (OSС), published on April 15.
Donald Trump voiced his interest in negotiations with Iran to Vladimir Putin during their phone call in February.
"Only three countries — Ukraine, Russia, and North Korea — are gaining direct experience in full-scale 21st-century warfare," Kyrylo Budanov said.
Treatment for the Russian military in North Korea is provided free of charge in "the best hospitals and sanatoriums."
The move represents an apparent violation of U.N. resolutions prohibiting North Korea from sending its citizens to work overseas, which the Security Council passed after Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
As Russia's options to purchase gallium and germanium from around the world almost disappeared, China became the sole supplier in 2023, the investigation said, citing leaked data from Russian customs databases.
North Korea is reportedly preparing to send more troops to Russia to fuel the war in Ukraine, even after significant losses, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported.
Iran has provided Russia with thousands of Shahed drones used in attacks against Ukrainian cities, as well as short-range ballistic missiles.
Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to sign an agreement on cooperation between Tehran and Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Jan. 17.
Kim Yong Bok, officially the Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff, is expected to oversee the integration of North Korean troops into Russian forces, gain combat experience, and establish a framework for future deployments, the Wall Street Journal reports.
"It seems that a good many of them are already in action," one of the officials told CNN, referring to the North Koreans.
Because North Korea and Russia do not publish official statistics on the country's bilateral trade, there is uncertainty. But even the minimum estimate of shipments is over $1.7 billion, the study reads.
Russia plans to assign an interpreter to every 30 North Korean soldiers for better interaction on the battlefield, Ukraine's military intelligence reported on Oct. 25, citing an intercepted conversation between service members of a Russian brigade in Kursk Oblast.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin arrived in Tashkent in August to hold talks with Uzbek officials about potentially joining the EAEU, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the new "center of a multipolar world."
Speaking at a meeting attended by the Kyiv Independent, Zelensky was asked about Pyongyang's increasing support for Moscow, which in recent days is reported to have developed from just weapons to boots on the ground.
BRICS, composed of Russia, China, India, Brazil, and other nations, is a group of emerging economies often portrayed as a counterweight to the Western-led world.
The combat training tasks will involve all training areas of the Belarusian Armed Forces. During the inspection, military conscripts from the country's reserves will be called up, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.
An attack on Belarus would lead to World War III, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed on Sept. 27, following Russian President Vladimir Putin's call to update Russia's nuclear doctrine, according to the Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta. Putin proposed a series of changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine on Sept. 25
"The same small group of seven accomplices, led by Russia, has once again acted destructively, always opposing any global initiatives that strengthen the effectiveness of the U.N. charter," Zelensky said at the U.N. Summit of the Future on Sept. 23.
"We are willing to sit down with the Europeans and the Americans to have a dialogue and negotiations. We have never approved of Russian aggression against Ukrainian territory," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed.
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