Key developments on Oct. 24:
- First North Korean troops deployed to front line in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence says
- North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine for Russia would be 'fair game,' White House says
- South Korea could 'review' ban on supply of lethal arms to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk Yeol says
- Russian forces trying to build crossings near Oskil River to advance on Kupiansk, military sources say
- Ukrainian military considering creation of new cyber army branch
The first North Korean soldiers to participate alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine have been deployed to the front line in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Oct. 24.
North Korea has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals. The first sightings of North Korean soldiers were recorded on Oct. 23.
These soldiers are reportedly receiving training at five military training grounds in Ekaterinoslavka, Knyaze-Volkonskoe, and Sergeevka, as well as in Ussuriysk and Ulan-Ude in eastern Russia.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov has been appointed to supervise the training and adaptation of the North Korean troops, who are given "a few weeks" to adjust, according to HUR's report.
The North Korean military is provided with ammunition, bedding, winter clothing, footwear, and hygiene products. According to Ukraine's military intelligence, each soldier receives 50 meters of toilet paper and 300 grams of soap each month.
Ukrainian intelligence claimed that Russia has "high hopes" for the participation of North Korean soldiers in the war.
North Korea has denied reports of North Korean troop presence in Russia, while a Kremlin spokesperson provided an evasive response.
A military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 21 that Russian authorities detained 18 North Korean soldiers who abandoned their positions in Kursk Oblast. Video footage has also emerged, allegedly showing North Korean troops at a Russian military training camp.
Additionally, South Korean media reported on Oct. 22 that Pyongyang has dispatched pilots capable of flying Russian warplanes to join the conflict in Ukraine. South Korea's Yonhap agency also stated that South Korea is considering sending personnel to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops.
Chris York
North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine for Russia would be 'fair game,' White House says
North Korean troops deployed to fight for Russia against Ukraine are "fair game," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Oct. 23.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. made its first public confirmation that it had evidence of Pyongyang's soldiers being sent to Russia, following previous reports from Ukraine and South Korea.
Kyiv and Seoul say Moscow is planning to involve thousands of North Korean troops in its full-scale war.
"If they do deploy to fight against Ukraine, they're fair game, they're fair targets, and the Ukrainian military will defend themselves against North Korean soldiers the same way they're defending themselves against Russian soldiers," Kirby told a press briefing at the White House.
"And so the possibility that there could be dead and wounded North Korean soldiers… is absolutely real if they get deployed."
Kirby also revealed details of U.S. intelligence assessments, saying Washington believes North Korea "moved at least 3000 soldiers into eastern Russia."
"We assess that these soldiers traveled by ship from the Wan area in North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia," he said, adding: "These soldiers then traveled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia where they are currently undergoing training."
Kirby said it was too early to say for sure if they "will enter into combat alongside the Russian military," but added it was a "highly concerning probability."
" We have briefed the Ukrainian government on our understanding of this situation, and we're certainly consulting closely with other allies, partners and countries in the region on the implications of such a dramatic move, and on how we might respond," he said.
"I expect to have more to share on all of that in the coming days."
South Korea could 'review' ban on supply of lethal arms to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk Yeol says
South Korea could review its ban on supplying lethal arms to Ukraine in light of "North Korean military activities," President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Oct. 24.
"If North Korea dispatches special forces to the Ukraine war, we will provide support to Ukraine step by step and consider taking necessary measures for the security of the Korean Peninsula," Yoon said in a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Seoul.
"We have adhered to a principle of not directly supplying lethal weapons, but we can review this more flexibly depending on North Korean military activities," he added.
South Korean law prohibits the exporting of weapons to active conflict zones, but Seoul has repeatedly hinted that this could change in light of deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Both Yoon and Duda denounced the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia, describing it as a "direct violation of the U.N. Charter and U.N. Security Council resolutions," in comments reported by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
"(South Korea) will never sit idle over this and take necessary measures step by step in coordination with the international community depending on the development of N. Korea-Russia military cooperation," Yoon added.
So far, Seoul has only provided humanitarian and non-lethal military aid to Kyiv, but has been indirectly supplying Ukraine with ammunition, in particular 155mm artillery shells, via the U.S.
However, experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent earlier this week said South Korea is unlikely to begin supplying weapons directly anytime soon, as Seoul is restricted by its own legislation.
"It's been a consistent stance because it is law. It's not just a policy choice," Jenny Town, senior fellow at the Stimson Center and director of Stimson's Korea Program and 38 North, told the Kyiv Independent.
"The president can't just say, 'Hey, I've changed my mind; here's what we're going to do now,' it really does require actual legislation to be passed."
Yoon's approval rating this week dropped to 24.1 percent, the lowest level since he took office in 2022.
Town said he lacks the bipartisan support required to pass legislation because he is in "such a weak position right now."
"If there was going to be greater military assistance to Ukraine, it's more likely to be by increasing indirect channels," Town adds.
Chris York
Russian forces trying to build crossings near Oskil River to advance on Kupiansk, military sources say
Russian troops are attempting to establish crossings near the Oskil River to advance toward the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, according to Ruslan Muzychuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's National Guard, who spoke on national television on Oct. 24.
Kupiansk is a strategically significant city in Kharkiv Oblast that was temporarily occupied by Russian forces in 2022.
In recent months, the city has faced heavy attacks as Russia intensified its offensive in the area. Russian forces have become increasingly active near Kupiansk, particularly following an attempted renewed offensive in Kharkiv.
"The enemy is now also concentrating its main efforts on reaching... the Oskil River. Near the river, the enemy is trying to set up crossings," Muzychuk said.
In the Kupiansk sector of the front line, Russian troops have recently increased their use of armored vehicles. Active hostilities have been reported in the areas surrounding the settlements of Tabaiivka, Pishchane, and Kolysnikivka.
The Russian army attempted to seize the Oskil River crossing and expand its offensive on the eastern bank, but Ukrainian National Guard troops successfully halted this advance, as reported by Oleksandr Pivnenko, the commander of Ukraine's National Guard, on Oct. 20.
On Oct. 18, Ukrainian forces liberated and "cleared out" the village of Kruhliakivka in Kharkiv Oblast of Russian soldiers. Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) described Kruhliakivka as important for the defense of Kupiansk.
Kamila Hrabchuk
Ukrainian military considering creation of new cyber army branch
Ukrainian military, lawmakers, and experts discussed the creation of a separate branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces dedicated to cyberspace operations, the General Staff said on Oct. 24.
"The creation of Cyber Forces as a separate branch will significantly enhance the capabilities of the Ukrainian army, ensure effective planning and implementation of the full range of tasks in cyberspace, which, along with land, sea, air and space, is recognized as a separate operational domain," the statement read.
The participants of the meeting reviewed the main provisions of a draft concept of the branch, and defined the main functions and tasks of any future cyber army.
They also examined the experience of Western cyber forces, and analyzed the relevant experience of the Ukrainian army during Russia's all-out war.
At the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, Ukraine launched an IT army, which was joined by thousands of specialists in the first days of February 2022.
It has reportedly carried out multiple cyberattack on Russian online websites.Russian hackers have also regularly targeted various Ukrainian government institutions as well as businesses with crippling cyberattacks aimed at disrupting numerous industries and government services.
Francis Farrell
