Ukraine's Biggest Port Near NATO Nation Romania Bombed By Russia; Shahid Drones Hit Kharkiv
Ukraine on May 30 claimed an overnight Russian drone attack on border town near Romania. The attack hit the town of Izmail, Ukraine's biggest port on the Danube river. Izmail is important for critical Ukrainian imports and lies across the river from Romania. Watch for more details.
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
North Korea gaining military edge as Russia seeks war-time supplies
North Korea has been rapidly unveiling new weapons, including AI-guided attack drones, upgraded tanks with electronic warfare features, a new naval destroyer armed with supersonic cruise missiles, and an improved air-defence system. It has also showcased air-to-air missiles and new drone technology. In the past, international sanctions, natural disasters, and the Covid-19 pandemic were thought to have left the North Korea's ageing Soviet-era military incapable of modernisation. But Kim Jong-un found a solution by turning to Russia, which needed weapons and manpower as it continues its military operation in Ukraine, according to a report by The New York Times. Reviving an old alliance As Russia's war in Ukraine dragged on and its resources thinned, North Korea stepped in with large supplies of artillery shells and troops. In return, Russia restarted a Cold War-era treaty of defence and cooperation with North Korea. According to South Korean officials and analysts quoted in the NYT report, this deal has provided North Korea with fuel, food, military materials and technologies to upgrade its forces. They warn that this growing military cooperation could destabilise the Korean Peninsula. New weapons, new opportunities Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and North Korea's economy, the country focused on nuclear weapons while its conventional military remained outdated. In contrast, South Korea, backed by the US and its 28,500 troops, maintained a strong military edge. However, analysts say Russia's need for weapons and manpower has brought about a major shift. North Korea's weapons industry has been revitalised, with Kim now gaining battlefield insights and modern warfare experience. 'North Korea appears to be entering a strategic golden age,' Yang Uk, Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told NYT. Support for Russia in Ukraine Russia has also benefited. Though kept secret at first, Russian military officials later confirmed that North Korean troops helped Russian forces push back Ukrainians in the Kursk region. South Korean intelligence believes around 15,000 North Korean troops have entered Russia. North Korea has supplied millions of artillery shells and missiles. The two countries are also working together to develop drones. The cooperation has strengthened Vladimir Putin's position in both the Ukraine conflict and international diplomacy. In September 2023, Kim visited Russia's Far East, where he toured a space launch centre, aircraft factory, and military bases. South Korean analysts believe he made a 'bucket list' of technologies he wanted. The relationship deepened when Kim invited Putin to Pyongyang last June. Soon after, North Korean troops reportedly began flowing into Russia. Testing troops in real battles Dmitri Kuznets, an analyst with Meduza, said North Korean troops helped retake two villages in the Kursk region. However, the exact scale of their involvement remains debated, according to him. Valery Shiryaev, a Russian military analyst, wrote on Telegram that real battlefield experience was important for Kim. 'All of them are getting an incredible experience now and will come back as real veterans,' he said. 'There are no such people in the South Korean Army, which undoubtedly fills Kim Jong-un with pride.' Analysts have observed aircraft and ships carrying military technology from Russia to North Korea. Kim has increased visits to weapons factories and overseen several weapons tests. In March, he watched the launch of an anti-aircraft missile system, suggesting Russian help in updating the North's air defences. He also viewed AI-powered attack drones. Experts say that just improving drone capabilities would help reduce the conventional weapons gap with South Korea. New naval power In April, Kim and his daughter Kim Ju-ae attended the launch of North Korea's first naval destroyer, the "Choe Hyon". He later observed its missile tests. One of the missiles resembled Russia's nuclear-capable 3M22 Zircon cruise missile. Kim also confirmed that a nuclear-powered submarine was being developed. In early May, Kim visited a tank factory and announced that outdated armoured vehicles were being replaced. He later praised a fourfold increase in artillery shell production — an important export to Russia. He also observed a MiG-29 fighter jet firing an air-to-air missile, a stark contrast from the days when the North could barely fly due to fuel and spare part shortages. According to Lee Sung-joon, a South Korean military spokesperson, many of North Korea's new weapons indicate direct Russian assistance. Evading sanctions through Russia The UN has banned arms trade with North Korea. However, cooperation with Russia has helped Pyongyang bypass sanctions and get the technology it needs, according to a report from the Institute for National Security Strategy. Nevertheless, there is doubt over how much sensitive technology Russia is willing to share. North Korea has repeatedly failed to launch military satellites. A nuclear-powered submarine would require a compact reactor — something Moscow may hesitate to provide. 'It's the most dangerous weapon North Korea has unveiled so far,' said Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification. Even if Russia never gives that final piece of technology, the possibility alone gives Kim more leverage. North Korean state media has already shown part of what it claimed was a nuclear submarine under construction.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Ukraine expands evacuations in Sumy region amid Russian offensive fears
Ukraine ordered the evacuation of 11 more villages in its Sumy region bordering Russia on Saturday amid fears Moscow was gearing up for a fresh ground assault. Russia claims to have captured several villages in the northeastern region in recent weeks, and has massed more than 50,000 soldiers on the other side of the border, according to Kyiv. The evacuations came just two days before a possible meeting between the two sides in Istanbul, as Washington called on both countries to end the three-year war. Russia has confirmed it will send a delegation to the Turkish city, but Kyiv has yet to accept the proposal, warning the talks would not yield results unless the Kremlin provided its peace terms in advance. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of doing "everything" it could to sabotage the potential meeting by withholding its peace terms. Authorities in Ukraine's Sumy region said on Saturday they were evacuating 11 villages within a roughly 30-km range from the Russian border. "The decision was made in view of the constant threat to civilian life as a result of shelling of border communities," the regional administration said on social media. A spokesman for Ukraine's border guard service, Andriy Demchenko, said on Thursday that Russia was poised to "attempt an attack" on Sumy. In total, 213 settlements in the region have been ordered to evacuate. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday that its forces had taken another Sumy region village, Vodolagy. Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the destruction of towns and villages across parts of the east and south of the country. The Kremlin's army now controls around a fifth of the country and claims to have annexed five Ukrainian regions as its own, including Crimea, which it seized in 2014. 'Strong delegations' U.S. President Donald Trump has spearheaded diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the fighting, but Kyiv and Moscow have both accused each other of not wanting peace. The Kremlin has proposed further negotiations in Istanbul on Monday, after a May 16 round of talks that yielded little beyond a large prisoner-of-war exchange. Kyiv has not yet said whether it will attend the Monday meeting, and said Friday it did not expect any results from the talks unless Moscow provided its peace terms in advance. Russia says it will provide its peace memorandum in person on Monday. But Ukraine suspects it will contain unrealistic demands that Kyiv has already rejected, including that Ukraine cede territory still under its control and abandon its NATO ambitions. In a statement to the United Nations on Friday, Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia suggested the memorandum might call for Western countries to halt arm supplies to Kyiv and for Ukraine to abandon its military mobilisation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has fostered warm relations with both Zelensky and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, has become a key mediator amid efforts to end the conflict. In a call with Zelensky late Friday, the Turkish leader urged both sides to send "strong delegations" to ensure momentum towards peace, according to Turkish state news agency Anadolu. Turkey has offered to host a summit between Putin, Zelensky and Trump, but the Kremlin has turned down the offer. Putin has consistently rebuffed calls for a 30-day, unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine.
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First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
Merz to meet Trump as Germany seeks to defuse trade row, back Ukraine
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with US President Donald Trump on Thursday for talks at the White House, with the Ukraine and West Asia conflicts on the agenda along with rocky trade relations. read more German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) and US President Donald Trump are pictured here against the backdrop of the Nato flag. File Photo- Agencies German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit Washington next week for his first in-person meeting with US President Donald Trump, the government said Saturday. The two leaders are scheduled to meet at the White House on Thursday with the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising transatlantic trade tensions high on the agenda. Merz, who assumed office on May 6, is expected to discuss bilateral relations, international crises including Ukraine war and developments in the West Asia as well as economic and trade policies with Trump. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Since taking office, Merz has stepped up diplomatic efforts to maintain Western unity on Ukraine. Earlier this week, he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin in a push to secure broader support for a ceasefire. Trump has rattled Europe with shifts in security and trade policy since returning to the White House, including an array of tariffs on European partners. Speaking at the WDR Europaforum conference last Monday, Merz said the European Union could retaliate with measures against US technology companies or other tariffs if the transatlantic trade conflict escalates. 'We shouldn't react heedlessly and hectically,' Merz said. 'But if we can't do anything else, we would need to use this tool.' But Merz's government, which last week said it would help Kyiv develop long-range missiles, wants to make sure that Washington will not walk away from Ukraine during its war with Russia. Merz and Trump have already had several telephone conversations, with the two agreeing earlier this month to visit each other, without giving dates. With regards to the conflict in Gaza, Merz has sought to heighten the pressure on Israel over its policies, balancing Berlin's support for the Israeli government with criticism of how it is fighting in the territory. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I no longer understand what the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip,' he told public broadcaster WDR last week, warning the Israeli government to not do that which 'friends are no longer willing to accept'. The visit comes at a critical time in EU-US relations. Trump has threatened to slap 50% tariffs on imports from the European Union, though he postponed the implementation to July 9, leaving a narrow window for negotiations. Germany, as Europe's largest economy, has a significant stake in averting a full-blown trade conflict. With inputs from agencies
