|
By Neha Tresa George
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 23 October, Ukraine’s military reported on 166 “combat clashes” in the past 24 hours in Pokrovsk, Kurakhivsk in Donetsk. Eastern Donetsk was reported to be under constant drone attacks with 56 assaults. Pokrovsk’s location serves as Ukraine’s supply hub and an important rail supply route for Ukraine’s defence supplies. This has been critical for Ukraine’s Vulhedar town in north of Donetsk. The area is also under slow Russian advance taking control of four towns in eastern Ukraine in Donbas. However, Russian Defence Ministry is yet to confirm.
On 23 October, Ukrinform reported on the interception of 57 Russian drones in an overnight attack. According to the Ukrainian Defence Forces, the Russian military attacked with 81 Shahed-type attack UAVs and unidentified drones from the region of Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Kursk. They also targeted Odesa region using a Kh-31P guided missile from the Black Sea. The defence forces were reported to have destroyed the 57 drones over the regions of Odesa, Mykolaiv, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions. 15 drones were reported to have been lost. However, nine of them were observed in the airspace. In response to this, an air alert was raised in several regions.
On 23 October, Yonhap News Agency reported on the statements of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), South Korea’s intelligence agency on the deployment of North Korean soldiers in the war. According to its statements, around 3000 soldiers were expected to have been sent to Russia for military support. The agency added that 10000 more were believed to be stationed by December 2024. Citing a report by NIS, Park Sun-won of the opposition Democratic Party said: “After the first batch arrived in Russia from Oct. 8-13, an additional 1,500 soldiers have been sent there.” The dispatched soldiers were believed to be accommodated at military facilities in Russia to undergo special training on the usage of military equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles. NIS said that Russians considered the soldiers to be physically and mentally fit although they slacked off in handling modern warfare. North Korea has not made any official comments so far.
THE MOSCOW VIEW
Claims by Russia
On 23 October, the TASS reported on the attack of a Russian Su-34 frontline bomber on a Ukrainian stronghold in the border Kursk region. According to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, the crew safely returned after confirming the interception of the Ukrainian personnel. The Ministry also said the strike was launched at examined targets by air bombs with unified glide.
On 23 October, the TASS reported that the Russians were testing drone swarm technology for their special military operations. According to a Russian serviceman, the troops were testing the technology near Chasov Yar city. With the increasing usage of attack drones, the Russian military aimed to combat Ukrainian electronic warfare through this technology effectively. In addition, it was reported that the forces of the Espanola Volunteer Brigade in the Chasov Yar area were using technologies like FPV drones equipped with machine vision, network-centric drone control technologies and new kinds of unmanned vehicles.
On 23 October, RT reported on the destruction of a Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) station by the Russian forces. The EW was identified as a NOTA EW system in the Kursk region to counter the UAVs coming from Russia. Footage was released by Russia’s Defence Ministry, showing a projectile causing an explosion. However, the Russian military did not reveal whether the NOTA was in use but said that its operators were killed in the attack. According to the statement from the Defence Ministry, the Ukrainian system failed to keep up with Inokhodets the weapons system used for the strike.
THE WEST VIEW
Responses from the US and Europe
On 23 October, Euronews reported on the visit of António Guterres, the UN’s Secretary-General to the BRICS summit hosted by Russia in Kazan. His decision to accept the invitation was condemned by Ukraine and Lithuania. According to the Kyiv Foreign Affairs Ministry: “This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN's reputation.” It also noted that Guterres had earlier declined the invitation to attend the peace summit organised in Switzerland. Gabrielius Landsbergis, the foreign minister of Lithuania also referred to the decision as “unacceptable.” Guterres and his spokespeople have not made any official response to these criticisms.
On 23 October, Deutsche Welle reported on the response from Germany over the alleged deployment of North Korean soldiers in Russia. The German Foreign Office summoned North Korea's charge d'affaires over these allegations. The Berlin officials called this “serious and in violation of international law.” They added that Pyongyang’s support “directly threatened German security and the European peace order.” This was against the backdrop of a report by the NIS claiming that North Korean soldiers were being deployed in Russia as part of the “comprehensive strategic partnership” signed between the countries.
On 23 October, Espreso.Global report on the evaluation made by the UK on Russia’s drone capabilities. The UK Ministry of Defence cited that Russia had launched more than 1300 drones against Ukraine in September 2024, marking its highest monthly attack. According to their estimates and current data, Russia would bypass this number in October 2024. The report read: “Russia is likely increasing its capacity for large-scale drone strikes on Ukraine, boosting Iranian-supplied drones with increased domestic production.” The UK intelligence added that Russia aimed to target sites including energy infrastructure by striking deep into Ukrainian territory.
On 23 October, Politico reported that NATO and the US had confirmed the alleged deployment of North Korean troops to Russia. According to Lloyd Austin, the US Defence Secretary, this was a serious issue that would have an impact on Europe and the Indo-Pacific. He said that the US was investigating the rewards North Korea would get in return for helping Russia. Farah Dakhlallah, NATO spokesperson said: “Allies have confirmed evidence of a DPRK troop deployment to Russia. If these troops are destined to fight in Ukraine, it would mark a significant escalation in North Korea’s support for Russia.” Meanwhile, Ukraine had already called for the surrender of soldiers when they were deployed to fight in Ukraine. In light of this issue, NATO summoned a South Korean delegation to summarise the report published by the NIS. However, Russia had called these allegations “fake news” and “contradictory information.”
On 23 October, Arab News reported on the “call for peace” brought by Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President during the BRICS summit, which was attended by 20 world leaders. During the summit, Putin invited offers from the members to mediate the conflict with Ukraine. It was the “largest diplomatic forum” in Russia since its Ukraine invasion in 2022. At the summit, Xi Jinping, the Chinese President warned against an escalation of fighting in Ukraine. He said: “We must adhere to the three principles of ‘no spillover from the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no adding oil to the fire by relevant parties,’ to ease the situation as soon as possible.” Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister also expressed his intent to support “dialogue and diplomacy.”
On 23 October, Euronews reported that a 57-year-old man was charged with a double murder of Ukrainian soldiers who were under treatment in Germany. He was reported to be a Russian supporter of the Ukraine invasion. He was arrested following a knife attack that killed two soldiers in the small town of Murnau. According to the Munich prosecutors, the suspect who was an acquaintance of the two victims attacked them over an argument about the situation in Ukraine. They also said that a knife was retrieved from his home nearby. They added that the man is “a supporter of an exaggerated Russian nationalism" and "supports unreservedly the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.”
References
“Russian Su-34 bomber crew wipes out Ukrainian stronghold in Kursk region,” TASS, 23 October 2024
“Russia testing drone swarm technology in special military operation, officer says,” TASS, 23 October 2024
“Russian drone wipes out Ukrainian warfare system – MOD,” RT, 23 October 2024
“Russia is a valued ally – South African president,” RT, 23 October 2024
“AFU shot down 57 Russian drones overnight, 15 lost in area,” Ukrinform, 23 October 2024
“UN’s Guterres arrives in Russia for controversial BRICS summit,” Euro news, 23 October 2024
“N. Korea so far sent 3,000 soldiers to Russia; total 10,000 to be dispatched by Dec.: NIS,” Yonhap News Agency, 23 October 2024
“Germany summons North Korea diplomat over Ukraine,” Deutsche Welle, 23 October 2024
“UK intelligence evaluates Russia's ability to sustain drone attacks on Ukraine,” Espreso.Global¸ 23 October 2024
“US and NATO confirm North Korean troops are now in Russia,” Politico, 23 October 2024
“Putin faces calls for peace at flagship BRICS summit,” ARAB NEWS, 23 October 2024
“Russian citizen charged with fatal stabbing of Ukrainian soldiers in Germany,” Euro news, 23 October 2024
|
