Local resident Yuri, 71, stands in front of a residential building heavily damaged following a … [+] recent air strike, in the town of Lyman, Donetsk region, on October 24, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP) (Photo by GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 974.
Kharkiv region. Russian forces struck a local market in Kupiansk on October 24, killing an elderly woman and wounding 11 other people. Russia has intensified strikes in the region this year, using more than 3,700 glide bombs, up from just over 100 in 2023, mainly targeting energy and civilian infrastructure.
Donetsk region. Russian attacks have killed at least 13 civilians and injured more than 20 others this week. In addition, a Russian attack on the region’s front line city of Kurakhove destroyed the district branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross. No staff or volunteers were wounded.
Zaporizhia region. Russian strikes here recently have killed two civilians in the Vasylivka district.
Sumy region. Russian drone strikes on residential buildings in the region’s capital on October 22 killed three people, including a child.
Russian forces also reportedly killed four captured Ukrainian soldiers execution-style near the front line city of Selidove. The bodies of the four soldiers, who were taken prisoner during an assault on October 6, were discovered by Ukrainian troops who regained the lost territory the next day.
Ukraine’s military intelligence reports that North Korean troops have arrived in Russia’s Kursk region to support its war against Ukraine. Around 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including three generals and 500 other officers, are receiving training at five Russian military bases in preparation for deployment. As Russia faces increasing difficulty in recruiting soldiers for contract service as the war drags on, it views North Korean forces as highly important to its war effort. The U.S. government has stated that any North Korean troops participating in the war against Ukraine will be “fair game.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on October 24 during the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan. Ukrainian officials harshly criticized the visit, arguing that Guterres’ presence lends legitimacy to Putin amid ongoing war in Ukraine. Previously, Guterres refrained from visiting the Ukrainian peace summit held in Switzerland. Through the BRICS summit, Moscow is seeking to demonstrate its resilience against Western attempts to isolate it due to its war in Ukraine. In Kazan, Guterres called for a “just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law, and General Assembly resolutions….We must uphold the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law, and the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of all states.”
In a press conference following the summit, Putin, for the first time, commented on the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. Responding to questions from an NBC journalist who used satellite imagery as evidence. Putin acknowledged the existence of such images, suggesting that the troops are indeed in the country.
Ukraine’s population has declined by 10 million since Russia invaded in February, 2022, falling by almost one quarter from 52 million to 42 million people. With 6.7 million displaced as refugees and tens of thousands dead at the front lines, Ukraine faces a demographic crisis. The birth rate in Ukraine is among the lowest in the world, just one child per woman, far below the 2.1 replacement level needed to maintain population. Ukraine fears that its population could drop to 28.9 million by 2041 and 25.2 million by 2051.
A new poll shows that 88% of Ukrainians would vote in favor of joining the European Union and 86% would support NATO accession. The survey, conducted in September by the Razumkov Center, a Ukrainian think tank, reveals that more than 80% of respondents would vote in such referendums. Support for E.U. and NATO membership is strongest in the country’s western regions at around 95%. The survey follows a closely divided referendum held this month in neighboring Moldova, where voting on E.U. membership was nearly equally split. In 2021, only 78% of Ukrainians supported E.U. accession and 70% backed NATO. Despite the rising pro-Western sentiment in Ukraine, a significant 35% of Ukrainians currently favor negotiations with Russia.
The U.K. will extend to Ukraine a loan worth almost $3 billion, funded by frozen Russian assets, as part of a broader G7 aid initiative. On the other hand, Ukraine risks losing an anticipated $4.25 billion in E.U. funding due to delays in enacting legislative reforms related to corruption, which could delay disbursement until next year.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed the possibility of inviting Ukraine to NATO, stating that the issue is not on the agenda. In an interview with ZDF, he reiterated that NATO’s stance was established during recent summits in Vilnius and Washington, emphasizing that NATO rules prohibit a country at war from joining the alliance. Scholz favors a measured approach to supporting Ukraine while avoiding escalation into a conflict between NATO and Russia. Nonetheless, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that media reports have exaggerated the level of resistance among member states to inviting Ukraine into NATO.
By Danylo Nosov, Alan Sacks.