Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv reports first clashes with North Korean troops on frontline
First battles with North Korean soldiers open ‘new page’ in war, says Zelensky
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Your support makes all the difference.Ukrainian forces have engaged in “small-scale” clashes with North Korean troops in Kursk, marking their first battlefield confrontation with Kim Jong-un’s soldiers, Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said.
“Yes, I think so. It is (an) engagement,” Mr Umerov said when asked if a clash had occurred.
Volodymyr Zelensky has said “the first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world” as the war in Europe inches closer to its 1000-days mark.
The US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments say up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops are being sent by Pyongyang to the war under a pact with Moscow.
Kyiv has assessed that Vladimir Putin is cutting short the training period for North Korean soldiers, earlier expected to last a month, in order to rush them to the frontline.
Earlier the G7 described the reports of thousands of North Korean troops joining Russian forces in Ukraine as a sign of Putin’s “desperation” to compensate for his battlefield losses.
UPD: Russian missile kills six, injures 20 in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia
A Russian missile attack on Ukraine‘s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday killed six people, injured at least 20 more and destroyed a critical infrastructure facility, Ukrainian officials said.
Ivan Fedorov, the regional governor, said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that a fire broke out as a result of the strike. Authorities did not say what the facility was.
Before the attack, Fedorov and Ukraine‘s Air Force announced a ballistic missile alert for the region.
Russia has recently stepped up attacks on Zaporizhzhia, using highly destructive guided bombs, which Ukrainian forces find hard to shoot down.
The city is an important logistical and industrial hub located about 40 km (25 miles) from the frontline. Moscow’s troops partially occupy the Zaporizhzhia region, which is also home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff urged allies to give more support to counter Russian attacks.
“Violence must be stopped by strong actions,” Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.
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In pictures: Ukrainian soldiers have blessing before first mission
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Ukrainian medics tend to the wounded near the frontline - pictured
Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills six, injures nine, governor says
A Russian attack on Ukraine‘s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia killed six people and injured nine more, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Tuesday.
He said earlier that the Russian forces had attacked an infrastructure facility in the city.
Poland to spend £577m to boost ammunition production
Poland plans to invest 3 billion zlotys (£577 million) to boost ammunition production, according to a bill published late on Monday, aiming to ensure it has sufficient supplies in the event of an attack from Russia.
Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has become Nato’s biggest spender on defence in relation to the size of its economy, with the 2025 budget allocating 4.7 per cent of gross domestic product for the purpose.
“The draft act aims to create opportunities to provide financing for activities aimed at increasing the capacity for ammunition production,” the bill says, with a particular need to expand large-caliber production to bolster the potential of the Polish Armed Forces.
The government aims to adopt the bill during the fourth quarter, according to its website.
Some Nato officials have said the Kremlin might be ready militarily to attack Nato countries in five to eight years’ time, once it has rebuilt its forces after the war in Ukraine. Moscow has regularly dismissed Western suggestions that it might consider an attack on Nato.
In September Maciej Idzik, a board member of the state-owned Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), told Reuters that Warsaw aimed to ramp up its production of 155 mm artillery rounds.
In pictures: Residents lives continue in frontline town in eastern Ukraine
Photos have dropped on the wires from the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region.
Russian forces are only several miles away from the city, a linchpin of the wider region’s defences.
Ukraine shoots down 48 drones and two missiles overnight
The Ukrainian air force shot down 48 out of 79 drones and two missiles launched by Russia overnight. The air force said the location of 30 other drones had been lost, while another had returned to Russia.
An overnight attack using guided aerial bombs on the eastern city of Kharkiv also injured two people and damaged windows in three apartment buildings, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
A drone attack on the northeastern region of Sumy damaged a gas station, regional authorities added.
Germany's foreign minister pledges 200 million euros in winter aid for Ukraine
Germany will give Ukraine another 200 million euros ($218 million) in aid to support the country during its third winter at war with Russia, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during a visit to Kyiv on Monday.
Baerbock has stressed Germany’s continued backing for Ukraine during the trip, which comes amid growing nerves over the impact Tuesday’s election in the United States will have on military support for the country.
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