Russia-Ukraine war news: US official says Russia and North Korea are progressing in arms negotiations

Here’s the latest news about the war and its impact around the world.

“Russia is negotiating possible deals for large quantities and multiple types of munitions from North Korea for use against Ukraine,” he added. said Thomas Greenfield, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of using his visit to North Korea last month as an opportunity “to try to persuade Pyongyang to sell artillery ammunition to Russia.” It also condemned Shoigu’s attendance at the state’s secret military parade, which included weapons banned by the UN Security Council.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exchanged messages after visiting Shoigu To Pyongyang in July Thomas Greenfield He said. It added that another group of Russian officials had traveled to North Korea to “follow discussions on possible arms deals” and that the negotiations could include the purchase of raw materials that could be used in Russia’s “defense industrial base”.

Ukraine is investigating its military medical commissions for corruption After it was found that some branches accepted bribes in exchange for forged health documents that rendered the men ineligible for conscription. President Volodymyr Zelensky He said In his evening address, he said that the number of men removed from military records by medical boards had increased tenfold in some areas since February, and that it was “quite clear” that there were “corrupt decisions”. He said bribes of $3,000 to $15,000 were paid to escape the draft while other eligible men managed to escape abroad.

Operations at the Pskov military airport in Russia returned to normal on Thursday after it was bombed This week in a drone attack, four Il-76s were destroyed. according to State run in Russia Tass news agency. The attack was followed by a barrage of rockets and drone strikes against Kiev early on Wednesdaykilling two people in the Ukrainian capital. Russia had reported drone strikes in At least six From its regions.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday. Wallace announced his plans to resign in July, after four years in the job, and had been a key figure in London’s military support for Kiev. In his resignation letter, he wrote: “The United Kingdom has respect around the world for our armed forces, and that respect has only increased since the war in Ukraine.” letter. However, he warned that “I sincerely believe that the world will become more secure and less stable over the next decade,” and urged the government to continue investing in the armed forces.

Russia will discuss an alternative to the Black Sea grain deal with Türkiye this week. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs He said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan are expected to meet in Moscow to discuss a proposal to send grain to Turkey with financial help from Qatar. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the grain would be processed in Turkey and exported to “needy” countries. The Kremlin also said that the leaders of Russia and Turkey would meet in Russia “soon”.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to “one of the most turbulent periods in decades for global food security”. according to a report From the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence. It also said that Russian forces stole about 6 million tons of Ukrainian wheat from the areas it controlled for export and private consumption.

The Russian Embassy in Washington condemned the US decision to send an additional $250 million in military aid to UkraineHe described it as “the height of hypocrisy”. Embassy He said On Telegram: “Washington will not abandon the concept of fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian.”

Russia witnessed at least 25 separate “drone attacks” in August. according To my daily information update from the British Ministry of Defense Thursday. It said that many of the drones “reached their targets, which probably means that the Russian air defense is having difficulty detecting and destroying them.” She added that Russia is likely to reconsider its air defense strategies to better equip itself against such attacks.

Putin is suffering from a falling ruble and rising prices due to the sanctionsWhen Putin addressed top economic officials last week after a painful month in which the Russian ruble fell to a 16-month low against the US dollar, he sought to strike a confident tone, Katherine Bilton, Jeff Stein and Robin Dixon report.

But he could not avoid addressing the growing vulnerability of the economy as the impact of Western sanctions worsened, exacerbated by the devaluation of the ruble.

“Objective data shows that inflationary risks are increasing, and the task of curbing price growth has now become the first priority,” Putin said. I ask my colleagues in the government and the central bank to keep the situation under constant control.”

Government spending on Russia’s defense industry is making Putin’s war clear in the minds of many Russians for the first time.