Ukraine war latest: Biden allows Zelensky to use US long-range missile inside Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has urged the country’s military to enhance its combat readiness, amid growing speculation that Pyongyang may send up to 100,000 troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, reported state media KCNA on Monday.

Mr Kim’s comments were made during a military conference in Pyongyang on Friday, where he addressed battalion commanders and political instructors. According to KCNA, he called for bolstering both political and military strength to ensure the nation’s armed forces are equipped to handle the challenges of war.

“He ardently called upon all the participants to go all out for bringing about substantial and fundamental improvement in improving their capabilities for fighting an actual war,” the KCNA report stated.

Mr Kim also criticised the United States, South Korea, and their allies, accusing them of escalating tensions to unprecedented levels. He described the Korean peninsula as “the world’s biggest hotspot,” warning that military confrontations in the region had reached “the worst phase in history.”

The remarks come as international scrutiny grows over the deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia. US, South Korean, and Ukrainian officials have alleged that more than 10,000 North Korean troops are already in Russia, with reports of some engaging in combat near Kursk, close to Ukraine’s border.

Sources familiar with discussions among G20 nations suggest that the number of North Korean troops could rise significantly. Analysts believe as many as 100,000 troops may be sent to Russia over time, with deployments occurring in rotations rather than a single large-scale mobilisation.

Ukraine’s ambassador to South Korea, Dmytro Ponomarenko, echoed these assessments earlier this month. Speaking to Voice of America, he warned that up to 15,000 North Korean troops could be deployed in eastern Ukraine and the Kursk region, rotating every few months to sustain their presence.

Russia is engaged in an ongoing campaign of war crimes against the people and children of Ukraine, Amnesty International has claimed.

The humanitarian group says it has verified 17 strikes in 2024 alone that have caused child casualties while field research carried out by the charity revealed Russian forces have deliberately targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Amnesty International Ukraine researcher Patrick Thompson called for the perpetrators of unlawful attacks and war crimes against the people of Ukraine to be brought to justice.

“Children, as some of the most vulnerable groups in any society, enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law,” Mr Thompson said.

“Yet we continue to see them killed and injured in areas far from the front lines, including in areas with zero military targets.”

War crimes are violations of international humanitarian law as per the 1949 Geneva Convention and include intentional attacks on civilians, humanitarian aid workers, hospitals or religious and educational buildings.

Ukraine’s air force said on Monday that it shot down eight out of 11 Russian drones during an overnight attack.

Ukraine’s military lost three more drones on its radars, according to the statement on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia also used two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and one Kh-59 guided missile to attack the country, the air force said.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has taken a thinly-veiled dig at German chancellor Olaf Scholz after he held a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday.

“Russia launched one of the largest air attacks: drones and missiles against peaceful cities, sleeping civilians, critical infrastructure,” Mr Sybiha wrote on X on Sunday morning.

“This is war criminal Putin’s true response to all those who called and visited him recently. We need peace through strength, not appeasement.”

He appeared to be taking direct aim at Mr Scholz following his discussiong with Putin, in which he called for Russian forces to retreat from Ukraine and for Moscow and Kyiv to open talks for a “just and lasting peace”.

Donald Trump Jr has ridiculed president Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use American-supplied long-range missiles to target Russian territory, calling the move “idiotic”.

In a post on X, Trump Jr described the Biden administration as “imbeciles” for endorsing the policy, which has stirred further tensions in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.

He suggested that the decision, which permits Kyiv to strike within Russia’s borders, was being driven by the interests of the military-industrial complex, warning that it could escalate the situation towards world war.

“The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” he wrote.

President-elect Donald Trump has long been vocal in his opposition to US involvement in the Ukraine conflict. He has frequently criticised the level of US aid to Ukraine, describing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as “the greatest salesman on earth” and promising to end America’s involvement in the war if he were to return to office.

The Nordic nations of Sweden, Norway, and Finland have begun distributing informational guides to their citizens, detailing how to prepare for emergencies, including potential war, amid heightened tensions with Russia, reported BBC.

The initiative follows increased fears of conflict in the region after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Starting 18 November, Swedish households will receive pamphlets outlining steps to take in a “worsening security situation”.

Finland has opted for a digital guide to minimise costs, while Norway has already delivered 2.2 million printed copies—one to every household—according to the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection.

The pamphlets, updated from previous editions, include advice on securing food, medication, and other essentials, while underscoring the countries’ readiness to defend themselves. Sweden’s guide states: “If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up. All information to the effect that resistance is to cease is false.”

Foreign secretary David Lammy will chair a UN Security Council vote on Sudan to push for a ceasefire as the UK announces it is doubling its aid for those affected by the war in the north-east African nation.

Mr Lammy will arrive at the UN in New York on Monday during the UK’s presidency of the UN Security Council.

He will chair a vote on a UK-Sierra Leone-penned draft UN Security Council resolution on Sudan to push for a national ceasefire, the protection of civilians and the unrestricted passage of aid.

Russian lawmaker Maria Butina said on Monday that the administration of president Joe Biden was risking World War Three if it had allowed Ukraine to use US-made weapons to strike deep into Russia.

“These guys, Biden’s administration, is trying to escalate the situation to the maximum while they still have power and are still in office,” Ms Butina told Reuters.

“I have a great hope that (Donald) Trump will overcome this decision if this has been made because they are seriously risking the start of World War Three which is not in anybody’s interest.”

Reuters, citing two US officials and a source familiar with the decision, reported on Sunday that Biden’s administration has made the decision to allow Ukraine to make the strikes with US weapons deep into Russia.

In a secret factory in central Russia, engineers are manufacturing hundreds of decoy drones meant to overwhelm Ukrainian defences as they try to protect against a horrific new weapon.

The plant in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone recently started churning out thermobaric drones alongside the decoys, an Associated Press investigation has found.

The thermobaric warheads create a vortex of high pressure and heat that can penetrate thick walls. They suck out all the oxygen in their path, and have a fearsome reputation because of the injuries inflicted even outside the initial blast site: Collapsed lungs, crushed eyeballs, brain damage.

Read this joint report from my colleagues Emma Burrows, Hanna Arhirova, Lori Hinnant: