Ukraine war latest: Russia confirms North Korea’s involvement in war to West, Kyiv says

Key developments on Oct. 31:
Russia has confirmed to the West that North Korea is taking an active part in the war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the South Korean KBS TV channel published on Oct. 31.
He said the messages were passed through the country’s intelligence.
“The Russian Federation at the level of intelligence confirmed that North Korea is involved (in the war) … (Russia) has been talking about this with the West.”
North Korea had sent troops to Russia to participate in its war against Ukraine and deployed them in Kursk Oblast, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as the Pentagon, confirmed on Oct. 28.
“Two states are officially at war against Ukraine. The military is officially involved. This is not just the transfer of artillery shells, assistance with the appropriate number of missiles, or the involvement of technical personnel working at factories,” Zelensky said.
Some 3,000 North Korean troops are already in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Meanwhile, Kyiv expects their number to increase to 12,000, Zelensky said.
The president said that some of the North Korean military is also located in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories without specifying the region.
There have been no clashes between the North Korean and Ukrainian military so far, but this is “a matter of days, not months,” according to Zelensky.
“Russia really wants us to leave Kursk Oblast,” Zelensky said.
“Russia has concentrated about 45,000 troops in Kursk Oblast and will increase (their number). They (Russians) are pulling North Korean troops there. They don’t have enough.”
According to the Financial Times, Ukrainian intelligence officials are skeptical regarding the combat effectiveness of the troops and cite communication issues with their Russian counterparts as the main hurdle Moscow and Pyongyang will have to bridge.
A South Korean delegation will visit Ukraine this week to share information on North Korea’s troops in Russia and discuss cooperation.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has also been urging China to use its relationship with Pyongyang and apply pressure on North Korea to withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s front line, CNN reported on Oct. 29, citing a U.S. official.
North Korea’s entry into the war comes when Russia’s long and grinding campaign in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast has dramatically gained pace in recent days. Analysts say Moscow’s forces are advancing at a pace not seen since the early months of the war.
Some 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast to participate in the war against Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference on Oct. 31.
The first North Korean soldiers were deployed to Kursk Oblast in late October, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported earlier. North Korea has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, according to HUR.
There have been no clashes between the North Korean and Ukrainian military so far, Blinken said, adding that they can happen “in the coming days.”
“One of the reasons that Russia is turning to these North Korean troops is that it’s desperate. (Vladimir) Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he’s turning to North Korean troops, and that is a clear sign of weakness,” Blinken said.
Russia has been training North Korean soldiers in artillery, drones, and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that they “fully intend” to use these forces in front-line operations, according to Blinken.
“Should these troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would become legitimate military targets.”
Blinken added that the U.S. will announce more military assistance for Ukraine “soon.”
The U.S. has transferred nearly 10% of the aid approved by Congress in April 2024 to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference on Oct. 30.
After months of political infighting and a worsening situation on the battlefield, the U.S. House of Representatives finally passed the foreign aid package on April 20, which included $60.84 billion in support for Ukraine.
“You do your job. You count on reserves, you count on special brigades, you count on such equipment. And if you get 10% of all the package (that) has already been voted on… It’s not funny,” Zelensky said.
“If you give your word, you have to keep it,” he added, noting that Ukraine had planned its military actions relying on the promised assistance “at a certain time.”
Zelensky also said NATO was not ready to take specific steps toward Ukraine’s membership due to Russian aggression, but the alliance had promised to provide “six or seven” air defense systems to protect Ukraine’s airspace.
“But today, we haven’t received this number. If we still haven’t received it and we can’t count on this great support for air defense during the heating season, which has already begun in Ukraine… What can we do?”
The U.S. recently allocated a new military assistance package for Ukraine worth $400 million, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during his visit to Kyiv on Oct. 21.
Austin arrived in Kyiv unexpectedly to discuss further support as the U.S. presidential election draws near.
Concerns are growing that if Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump wins against Democratic challenger Vice President Kamala Harris, he may withdraw or reduce U.S. support for Ukraine, potentially forcing the country into painful concessions.
Despite U.S. assistance, Russian forces continue grinding forward in eastern Ukraine, while the country braces for renewed strikes against its energy grid as winter approaches.
Ukraine is still expecting to receive Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 31.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in July that Warsaw may provide Kyiv with additional Soviet-made fighter jets if it can find a replacement.
Following Zelensky’s calls to speed up the transfer, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said, “Poland makes decisions based on its security and has already done everything it can for Ukraine.”
“We agreed with NATO that they would provide them (Poland) with a police mission, just like our Baltic friends, who do not have their own planes but have such a mission,” Zelensky said.
“We agreed on this, but after that, did Poland give us the planes? No. Was there another reason? Yes,” the president said without providing further details.
Zelensky added that Ukraine has “constantly asked” Poland to shoot down Russian missiles flying in its direction, particularly to protect the gas storage facility in the town of Stryi in Ukraine’s Lviv Oblast, located nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of the Ukrainian-Polish border.
“We do not have the appropriate number of (air defense) systems to protect the gas storage facility. What about the Poles? Are they shooting it down? No. The Poles said we are ready to shoot down if we are not alone in this decision; if NATO supports us.”
Russian drones and missiles have previously entered Poland’s airspace during attacks on Ukraine. Yet, Polish allies advised the government to exercise restraint when dealing with unidentified airspace violations, according to Tusk.
In early July, Ukraine and Poland signed a bilateral security agreement, which included a commitment by both sides to examine “the feasibility of possible intercepting in Ukraine’s airspace missiles and UAVs fired in the direction of the territory of Poland, following necessary procedures agreed by the states and organizations involved.”
Then NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was skeptical about this point of the agreement, saying that it puts the alliance at risk of “becoming part of the conflict.”
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski began to insist on Poland’s right to shoot down air targets after a Russian drone reportedly crossed the country’s border in an attack against Ukraine on Aug. 26.
The minister said that the risk of Polish casualties increases the closer a missile is to its target when intercepted, so it was better to shoot it down at a higher altitude over Ukraine.
Ukraine’s proposed 2025 budget passed its first reading in parliament on Oct. 31, allocating approximately 26% of the country’s GDP to defense and military spending.
“The priority of next year’s budget will again be security and defense. All taxes paid by people and businesses will go toward strengthening our defenders and military capabilities,” Prime Minister Denys Smyhal said on his Telegram channel.
Military and defense spending will grow by Hr 46 billion ($1.6 billion) compared to 2024, reaching over Hr 2.2 trillion ($53.4 billion).
According to Shmyhal, state spending will increase by Hr 535 billion ($13 billion) to Hr 3.6 trillion ($87.4 billion), while revenues are expected to reach around Hr 2.7 billion ($65.5 million), up Hr 411 billion ($10 billion) from 2024.
“Not a single amendment to meet the needs of the military, and those who today especially need state support, was taken into account,” opposition lawmaker Dmytro Razumkov said, criticizing the document on his Telegram channel.
Following today’s discussions, the budget law will go through additional rounds of consideration before lawmakers hold a final vote, expected by Dec. 1.
Ukraine’s state budget has increasingly relied on external support, including war bonds, IFI loans, and bilateral loans and grants, as the country’s war-torn economy falters.
A widening annual budget deficit, reaching 20.6% in 2023, led Ukrainian lawmakers to approve a tax hike in September—the first since the full-scale war began—a politically unpopular move as the country seeks new sources of funding for its expanding wartime budget.
Ukraine faces a $35 billion budget deficit next year, and with Russia’s war continuing into its third year with no end in sight, the country must secure funding to sustain its economy and finance the war effort.