Russia and Ukraine exchange drone strikes as North Korea’s top diplomat visits Moscow

Kiev, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine exchanged dozens of drone strikes on Wednesday North Korea’s top diplomat arrived in Russia for talks after his country reportedly deployed thousands of soldiers to help Moscow’s war effort.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 62 drones and one missile overnight, adding that 33 of them were intercepted and 25 jammed.

According to city authorities, the drones hit a residential building and a kindergarten in Kiev, injuring nine people, including a child. “Russian drones did not change their constant tactics – they approached the capital from different directions, at different heights,” the report said.

Russian attacks also targeted other regions of Ukraine, killing at least four and wounding around 30 in the past 24 hours, authorities said.

At the same time, Russian forces have continued their slow-moving offensive in eastern Ukraine. In Moscow, the Ministry of Defense announced the capture of the village of Kruhlyakivka in the Kharkov region.

The ministry said air defenses downed 25 Ukrainian drones over several regions in the west and south-west of the country.

The new attacks come as North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived in Moscow for talks that South Korea’s spy agency said could include discussions about sending additional troops to Russia and what the North would expect in return. to get.

The Pentagon said North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia, and that they will likely fight Ukraine “in the coming weeks.”

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said Tuesday that a “relatively small number” of North Korean troops are now in the Kursk region, where Russia struggled to push back a Ukrainian invasion.

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