As the war enters its 971st day, these are the main developments.
Here is the situation on Wednesday, October 23, 2024:
Military
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies “not to hide” in the face of evidence of North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Kyiv claimed to have information about two North Korean units – up to 12,000 troops – set to take part in the war.
- The head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence said that Kyiv expected North Korean forces to arrive on Wednesday in Russia’s southern Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion in August.
- Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has announced his resignation amid a scandal involving dozens of officials alleged to have abused their position to receive disability status and avoid military service.
Finances
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hopes for increased financial cooperation with BRICS members – which account for 45 percent of the world’s population and 35 percent of the global economy – as a meeting of nearly two dozen world leaders kicked off in the Russian city of Kazan on Tuesday.
- Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has called on NATO to raise the alliance’s defence spending target to at least 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, saying the current 2 percent no longer fits the “reality of today’s security situation”.
- The European Parliament has voted to use frozen Russian assets to lend more than 35 billion euros ($38bn) to Ukraine, clearing the last legislative hurdle before the funds are handed over. A total of 518 members of parliament supported the plan, while 56 voted against and 61 abstained.
- Moscow has accused the European Union – which holds about 210 billion euros ($227bn) of frozen Russian money under sanctions imposed since its war on Ukraine started – of committing an economic crime on a global scale.
- United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has announced that Washington plans to contribute $20bn to a $50bn G7 loan package for Ukraine and could soon announce new sanctions targeting Russian weapons procurement. G7 leaders are close to finalising the plan, with policymakers set to meet later this week.
Diplomacy
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the BRICS summit that he wanted peace in Ukraine and that his country was ready to help achieve a truce.
- United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused Putin of “harming millions of vulnerable people”, as new British intelligence suggests Russian attacks on ships carrying food are causing delays to vital supplies reaching Palestinians and the Global South generally.
- Poland has said it is closing the Russian consulate in the city of Poznan and expelling its staff after Polish investigators discovered Russia’s secret service was recruiting people to conduct arson attacks in the EU and US.