Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 10-16-2024

The claim came amid Pyongyang’s rising tension with Seoul and the former’s growing military ties with Moscow, with recent reports claiming North Korean troops are now deployed in Ukraine.

North Korea claimed that 1.4 million youths have applied to join or rejoin the military for Pyongyang’s “sacred war of destroying the enemy with the arms of the revolution” amid rising tension with South Korea.

Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency published the report, accompanied by purported photos of youth signing petitions at an undisclosed location.

Kyiv Post visited officers and soldiers of the 1129th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, responsible for targeting and destroying enemy objects in the Kyiv region.

Russia’s air strikes across Ukraine have become an all-too-common occurrence since February 2022 – unpredictable, unsettling, and deadly, with a barrage of drones and missiles often launched against Ukrainian cities, towns, and villages in seemingly indiscriminate fashion. 

In Kyiv, the haunting sound of the air raid alarm rings out several times daily, usually signaling the unwelcome arrival of several dozen enemy drones, mostly Shaheds, that the Ukrainian Ground Forces must shoot down to keep the capital and its people safe.

Rutte called the plan unveiled Wednesday “a strong signal from Zelensky” – while cautioning: “That doesn’t mean that I here can say I support the whole plan.”

NATO defense ministers will be discussing the “victory plan” outlined by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky during two-day talks starting Thursday in Brussels, the alliance’s chief Mark Rutte said.

Rutte told reporters on the eve of the talks that “clearly” allies were discussing the plan which calls for ramped-up Western backing including an invitation to join NATO, and that it would “be on the table this week.”

Australian mainstream media reported on Wednesday that Canberra was preparing to send four dozen Abrams tanks as part of its latest aid package.

More than a year after Kyiv first expressed interest in the M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks (MBT), Canberra has confirmed it will now gift 49 of the American-made tanks as part of a AUD245 million ($164 million) aid package.

The Australian package is the single biggest allocation of tanks by a donor country since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russia. 

With US help, around one percent of ballistic missiles fired at places like Tel Aviv and Haifa actually hit. Ukraine’s tattered air defenses stop about one of three missiles, some also Irani-made.

On Tuesday at a Pentagon briefing spokeswoman Sabrina Singh was asked by a DC reporter why would the US not send America’s best air defense system, called THAADS, to NATO to help protect skies there from possible Russian missile strikes, or even to the eastern edge of the Atlantic Alliance to knock down real missiles bombarding Ukrainian homes and businesses across the border.

That is because, the United States’ senior Defense Department press officer said, Ukraine doesn’t really need it.

Military intelligence units conducted a successful operation north of Lyptsi in the Kharkiv region, almost destroying a Russian regiment and capturing its operational area.

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported on a successful operation carried out to liberate the forested area north of Lyptsi in the Kharkiv region. The operation, carried out by its “Arthan” and “Kraken” units along with members of the International Legion, destroyed an almost complete regiment of Russian troops.

According to HUR’s press service, Ukrainian scouts captured the enemy Regiment's defensive area, destroyed three motorized infantry battalions, its “Storm” unit, and the reconnaissance company of the 7th separate motorized infantry regiment of the 11th army corps of the Russian Armed Forces.

Kyiv Post spoke with military personnel, specialists, and insiders about the details of the Victory Plan announced by Ukraine’s President on Wednesday.

On Oct.16, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, presented his plan for Ukraine's victory to the country’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.

The plan as announced during the meeting consisted of five points with three classified appendices which were not disclosed. Zelensky said the plan had already been shared with those Western allies who play a critical role in supplying weapons to Ukraine.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

It is the first time in nearly a week that Israel has attacked Beirut. Images on TV showed plumes of smoke from two locations over Dahieh, where traditionally Hezbollah has a strong presence. The attack happened at around 07:00 local time (05:00 BST), about an hour after Israel issued an evacuation order which mentioned only one building. The Israeli military said it had targeted an underground weapons warehouse used by the group. This is an area of the city that has been heavily bombarded by Israel in recent weeks. But there was a days-long pause in the strikes on Beirut, reportedly following a request by the Biden administration. - BBC

The US has warned Israel it has 30 days to increase access for humanitarian aid into Gaza or risk a reduction in some military aid. It comes as food aid was delivered into northern Gaza for the first time in two weeks, with the UN describing the situation as "desperate.” The US has also said that components for an advance anti-missile system have begun arriving in Israel, with the Pentagon saying the system is intended to help Israel defend itself and will be operational in the "near future" - BBC

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief said he discussed the frontline situation and the possibility of allowing Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russia using Western weapons with his British counterpart.

Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, said he had a frank exchange of views in a call to the UK’s Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin during which Ukraine’s “Victory Plan” was discussed.

Syrsky said he briefed his British counterpart on frontline developments and the continuing need for long-range strikes against Russian assets “in the operational and strategic depth.”

Ukraine’s Defense Minister announced on social media a plan to directly recover explosives from munitions that have failed to function in the field.

On Tuesday Oct. 15, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s Defense Minister, announced on his Facebook channel that the Ukrainian government had approved a plan to recover explosives and other materials from unexploded munitions retrieved from conflict zones. He said the basis of the plan was that as much as 20 percent of munitions used during the ongoing war have failed to function and during the process to neutralize these explosive remnants of war it would be possible to salvage the explosives they contain as a valuable resource for Ukraine's defense industry.

Umerov said the intention was to deploy mobile processing equipment directly on-site which would enable increasingly scarce but essential materials to be extracted for recycling into new munitions.

Anxiety is growing in Ukraine after a wave of Russian strikes against the country's power grid threatens to leave towns and cities in the cold and dark during winter.

The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, which has been under persistent Russian shelling, has no electricity supply while repair work is carried out, regional officials said Wednesday.

Anxiety is growing in Ukraine after a wave of Russian strikes against the country's power grid threatens to leave towns and cities in the cold and dark during winter.

Ukrainian military intelligence says that 10,000 North Korean infantry are being trained in Russia’s Far East for deployment near Ukraine’s border and to facilitate Moscow’s troop rotation.

Currently, 10,000 North Korean infantry soldiers are undergoing training in Russia’s Far East in preparation for deployment to border areas near Ukraine and for the rotation of Russian troops, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) sources told Kyiv Post on Wednesday morning.

The North Korean soldiers’ deployment to Russia’s border with Ukraine would allow Moscow to free up its own personnel for other tasks, said the HUR on Oct. 16.

With reports that Pyongyang is to provide combat troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine Kyiv Post sought the views of Korean scholar Mykola Polishchuk on the DPRK’s increasing involvement.

The supply of weapons from North Korea to Russia, started with artillery ammunition and escalated to include ballistic missiles. At the same time there were reports that the DPRK was to send engineers and advisors to Ukraine, some of whom were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack, and the news that Russia is now training North Korean combat troops for deployment to the war.

This strengthened cooperation between North Korea and Russia has been formalized by the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between the two.

While there are still no EU sanctions against Russian gas, there is another way to stop it reaching European markets.

Bulgaria, which transits Gazprom gas through the TurkStream pipeline, can play a key role in ending the current deal between Hungary and Gazprom amid ongoing supply negotiations, Martin Vladimirov, director of the energy and climate program at the influential Bulgarian think tank Centre for the Study of Democracy, told Euractiv Bulgaria.

The energy expert called for a pan-European decision to ban Russian gas or introduce a tax to equalize the cost of buying Russian and buying alternative gas.

This is an Editorial reprinted with permission from the US-based The Ukrainian Weekly.

Pope Francis’ recent announcement of 21 new cardinals, including the youngest in recent history, Bishop Mykola Bychok of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC), was met with excitement among Ukrainians around the world, but it also raised questions. Why wasn’t the head of the UGCC, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, chosen to represent the Church in this significant role? Throughout its history the UGCC has played a critical role in Ukraine’s ongoing fight for sovereignty and national identity.

Patriarch Sviatoslav, a staunch advocate for Ukraine, has been a leading voice against Russia’s war on Ukraine, using his platform to call for peace and support for the Ukrainian people. As the head of the largest Eastern-Rite Catholic Church, he has consistently brought attention to the plight of Ukraine and its people, urging the global Catholic community to stand in solidarity with them. His active role in guiding the Church through crisis would make him a fitting candidate for a cardinalate, especially given his international influence.

In the second of a series of articles by Frishberg & Partners, adapted for Kyiv Post, the author gives an overview of licensing requirements for Ukrainian producers of drones and munitions.

Over the past year, the Ukrainian government has streamlined the legislation governing the production of unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV - drones) and ammunition, which has eliminated many bureaucratic procedures.

The government has also created certain benefits for domestic drone producers, including the cancellation of VAT and import duties for drone components required for production and repair of the systems by Ukrainian entities.  These benefits are valid throughout the duration of martial law.

The incursion launched on August 6 into Russia’s Kursk region caught Moscow off guard and boosted the morale of Ukrainians exhausted more than two years into Russia’s invasion.

Two months into Ukraine's offensive on Russian territory, questions are growing in Ukrainian ranks over the long-term strategy as Russian troops advance steadily in other areas.

The incursion launched on August 6 from northeastern Ukraine into Russia's Kursk region caught Moscow off guard and boosted the morale of Ukrainians exhausted more than two years into Russia's invasion.

Electronic warfare plays significant role in neutralizing Russia’s Iranian-supplied Shahed drones.

Ukraine's air defense forces successfully repelled a major Russian air strike early morning on Wednesday, Oct. 16, neutralizing over 110 Iranian-supplied Shahed kamikaze drones.

According to Ukrainian Air Forces, the attack occurred late Tuesday, Oct. 15, into the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 16. Russian forces targeted the Donetsk region with S-300/400 missiles and the Chernihiv region with a Kh-59 missile launched from Russia's Kursk region.

The EU exemption granted to Czechia allows Polish oil company Orlen to make $1.3 billion profit from Russian fuel and pay billions to Putin’s war chest.

The Polish oil company Orlen has profited approximately $1.3 billion since the start of the war in Ukraine by purchasing Russian fuel through its joint stock subsidiary Orlen Unipetrol in the Czech Republic, reports Politico, citing two European research groups.

This data was presented by researchers from the Center for the Study of Democracy and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in an article entitled “Tapping the Loophole.” The report has the subtitle: “Czechia has spent five times more on Russian oil and gas than aid to Ukraine.”

Military support to Kyiv and strengthening Ukraine's battered energy sector are among the topics on the table as leaders from the EU's 27 nations meet in Brussels on Thursday.

European Council president Charles Michel on Tuesday said that he has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to present his "victory plan" to defeat Russia at a meeting of EU leaders this week.

Zelensky has been seeking support from Kyiv's western allies as Russia's invasion of Ukraine grinds on through its third year.

EU officials and experts discussed the pros and cons of boosting Ukraine’s arms production with proceeds from interest on Russian assets frozen by international sanctions.

Instead of sourcing weapons for Kyiv, the EU is now using proceeds from frozen Russian assets to help Kyiv manufacture the armaments for itself.

The move indicates a lack of production capacity within the EU. However, it would accelerate the process of arming Ukraine and avoid uncomfortable political discussions – such as the longstanding redlines against deep strikes inside Russia using Western weapons, EU officials and experts told the Washington Post.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from ISW:

• The Kremlin is likely leveraging the recent June 2024 Russia-North Korea comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in part to offset Russian force generation and border security requirements—further cementing Russian President Vladimir Putin's commitment to avoiding mobilization for as long as possible.
• The Kremlin has elected to address the recent controversy regarding its reliance on conscripts to repel Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Oblast by offering financial incentives to any personnel involved in defending the state border.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing Russian Investigative Committee Head Alexander Bastrykin to stay in his position despite reaching retirement age (again) demonstrating Putin's continued preference for keeping curated loyalists from his inner circle in positions of power.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Kupyansk, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.
• A former Russian Storm-Z instructor and milblogger heavily criticized Russian forces' reliance on the partially-encrypted communications platform Discord following Russia's recent ban of the platform.