KYIV, Ukraine — On Wednesday, a significant exchange of drone strikes took place between Russia and Ukraine while North Korea’s top diplomat landed in Russia for discussions amid reports of thousands of North Korean soldiers being deployed to support Moscow’s military operations.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia initiated an assault involving 62 drones and one missile overnight. Out of these, Ukrainian forces successfully intercepted 33 drones and jammed 25 others.
In Kyiv, the drone strikes resulted in damage to a residential building and a kindergarten, causing injuries to nine individuals, including one child, as confirmed by local authorities. Officials noted that the tactics employed by Russian drones remained consistent, approaching the capital from various directions and altitudes.
Additionally, Russian assaults targeted numerous other areas across Ukraine, leading to at least four fatalities and approximately 30 injuries over the previous day, as reported by local officials.
Concurrently, Russian military operations have persisted in eastern Ukraine, with reports of a slow-moving offensive. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that they had successfully taken control of the village of Kruhlyakivka, located in the Kharkiv region.
The Russian military also claimed that its air defenses managed to shoot down 25 Ukrainian drones across several western and southwestern regions of the country.
These recent attacks coincide with the arrival of North Korea’s Foreign Minister, Choe Son Hui, in Moscow for discussions. South Korean intelligence speculates these talks may involve negotiations regarding the deployment of further North Korean troops to Russia and the potential benefits for the North in exchange.
The Pentagon has estimated that North Korea has dispatched around 10,000 troops to the Russian front, who are expected to engage in combat against Ukraine in the forthcoming weeks.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, spokesperson for the Pentagon, indicated that a “relatively small number” of North Korean soldiers are currently stationed in the Kursk region, where Russian forces have faced challenges in countering Ukrainian advances.