Key developments on Oct. 27:
- Russia transporting North Korean troops to front lines in civilian trucks, military intelligence says
- Russian soldiers suspected of murdering 2, injuring 1 civilian in embattled Selydove
- Russia had 'partial success' at Levadne but Ukraine holds dominant heights, military says
- Russia claims downing 51 Ukrainian drones, fire reported at oil facility
Russia is transporting North Korean soldiers to the front lines via trucks with civilian license plates, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported on Oct. 27.
The announcement follows reports from U.S. and Ukrainian officials that a contingent of North Korean troops is headed to Russia's Kursk Oblast to assist Moscow in countering Ukraine's offensive in the region.
Russian police officers on Oct. 27 stopped a Kamaz truck with civilian license plates on the Kursk-Voronezh highway, HUR said via its official Telegram channel. The vehicle was reportedly loaded with North Korean military personnel, but the driver did not have documented combat orders.
In an intercepted radio communication, officers of Russia's 810th Separate Marine Brigade are trying to sort out the problem of the stopped truck, according to audio published by HUR. The unit was expecting to receive North Korean reinforcements via the Kamaz truck.
The audio records the officers discussing why the truck was stopped on the Kursk-Voronezh highway and why the driver lacked proper documentation.
HUR's report indicates that North Korean troops are on their way to Russian units, aligning with President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement on Oct. 25 that Russia is planning to send the first North Korean soldiers to a combat zone on Oct. 27-28.
While Russia and North Korea first dismissed Ukraine's reports that North Korean troops were joining the war, the leaders of the two countries have changed their language in recent days, moving from denial to justification.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 24 indirectly acknowledged the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia, responding to claims of satellite imagery with "if there are images, they reflect something" and citing Pyongyang's defense treaty with Moscow.
North Korea's foreign ministry said on Oct. 25 that any decision to send troops to Russia would comply with international law.
Estimates on the number of North Korean troops sent to the Ukraine-Russia front line have varied. U.S. officials estimated around 3,000 North Korean troops were training in Russia, but National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby indicated that the overall count could now be higher.
South Korean intelligence has informed lawmakers that North Korean troop numbers in Russia could reach 10,000 by December, while Kyiv has said that Pyongyang has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals.
Dmytro Basmat
Russian soldiers suspected of murdering 2, injuring 1 civilian in embattled Selydove
Russian soldiers in the Donetsk Oblast town of Selydove have likely opened fire against civilians on separate occasions, killing at least two women and injuring one person, the regional prosecutor's office said on Oct. 27.
Selydove is the site of heavy battles as Russian forces are pushing deeper into the settlement, which lies 18 kilometers (11 miles) southeast of Ukraine's key logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
Ukrainian prosecutors have launched a war crime investigation into footage and reports shared on social media that accuse Russian soldiers of shooting at and murdering the town's residents.
One video purports to show Russian soldiers opening fire against a civilian car in a populated area on Oct. 24. One resident was injured and was provided assistance by Ukrainian soldiers who arrived at the scene afterward, the prosecutor's office said.
In a separate incident, two women have been reportedly murdered by Russian troops. The bodies have been found in a residential sector that was not heavily affected by hostilities and likely already under Russian control, the prosecutors said, citing media reports and open sources.
An investigation to establish circumstances and perpetrators is underway, the statement read.
Kyiv has accused Russia of committing over 137,000 war crimes in Ukraine as part of its aggression. There have been numerous reports of murder and torture of civilians and Ukrainian prisoners of war as Moscow continues its all-out war and holds roughly one-fifth of Ukraine's territory.
Russia had 'partial success' at Levadne but Ukraine holds dominant heights, military says
Ukrainian forces continue to hold all the dominant heights near Levadne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and are attempting to restore their positions, Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn said on air on Oct. 27.
The spokesperson said this in reaction to a recent report by the Ukrainian monitoring service DeepState, which claimed that Russian forces had captured the settlement.
The Ukrainian military warned that Russia is escalating its operations in southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, just as it continues its drive in the Donbas region in Ukraine's east.
Voloshyn said he would not call Levadne a settlement but a simple "point in an open field" positioned in a lowland, which makes it difficult to defend.
The spokesperson acknowledged that Russian forces have focused great efforts in the sector, achieving "partial success" and driving a wedge into Ukrainian defenses. He did not say explicitly whether the entire Levadne was captured, as DeepState reported.
According to Voloshyn, Russia has intensified its operations in the area after capturing the Donetsk Oblast town of Vuhledar at the beginning of October.
Levadne is located near the administrative borders of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Vuhledar and 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Dinara Khalilova
Russia claims downing 51 Ukrainian drones, fire reported at oil facility
Russia's Defense Ministry reported downing 51 Ukrainian drones overnight on Oct. 27, with 18 of them intercepted over western Tambov Oblast.
Drones struck the Michurinsky district of the region at around 0:40 a.m. local time, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished, Governor Maxim Egorov claimed on his Telegram channel.
The Astra Telegram channel alleged that the fire broke out at the Transneft Druzhba control station in the village of Novonikolskoye.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Transneft Druzhba is a subsidiary of Russia's leading state-controlled oil company, Transneft. It operates the Druzhba pipeline, built to funnel Russian oil to European countries via Belarus and Ukraine.
The Michurinsky Oil Refinery is also located in the village of Novonikolskoye.
Ukraine has carried out long-range drone strikes into Russian territory, often targeting oil refineriesand depots to disrupt fuel supplies to the Russian military and diminish Moscow's fossil fuel export revenues, crucial for funding the war.
Russia claimed its forces had also downed 16 drones over Belgorod Oblast, four each over Bryansk, Lipetsk, and Oryol oblasts, three over Voronezh Oblast, and one over Kursk Oblast. Other Ukrainian drones were allegedly shot down over the Azov Sea.
Asami Terajima
