She was welcomed in « amie ». North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is in Moscow this Monday, November 4, 2024, to meet Vladimir Putin. A visit which comes at a time when the West denounces the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers near the front in Ukraine.
In kyiv, it was the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, who came to affirm her support “unshakeable” in Ukraine, while a new Russian strike left at least 13 injured in Kharkiv, in the east of the country.
Here's what to remember from the war in Ukraine this Monday.
13 injured in Russian strikes on Kharkiv
At least 13 people were injured overnight from Sunday to Monday in a series of Russian strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, located in the northeast of the country, the Ukrainian prosecutor's office said.
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“Russian armed forces carried out massive airstrikes on Kharkiv and its suburbs” in several attacks, the Attorney General's Office said on Telegram. According to him, 13 people were injured, including four police officers.
Journalists from theAgence France-Presse (AFP) on site saw a supermarket whose facade was blown away by the explosions, as well as craters on the ground.
According to the prosecution, FAB-250 debris was found at the scene of the strikes. These devastating gliding aerial bombs are used massively by Russia on the front.
The city of Kharkiv and its region, bordering Russia, have been regularly bombarded by Moscow since the start of the invasion in February 2022, and these strikes have intensified in recent months.
Vladimir Putin meets the head of North Korean diplomacy
“Vladimir Putin received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Choe Son-hui, in the Kremlin”indicated the Russian presidency in a press release cited by theAFP.
A video released by the Kremlin shows Vladimir Putin, smiling, shaking hands and chatting with Choe Son-hui in the presence of his Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and his advisor, Yuri Ushakov.
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“I have the honor to convey to you very sincere, warm and friendly greetings” of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Choe Son-hui said, according to a translation of his remarks by an interpreter present at the meeting.
Vladimir Putin stressed that “meeting friends on holidays is a very good tradition”November 4 being National Unity Day in Russia, a public holiday.
A visit which comes as the head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, jointly condemned the supply of weapons by North Korea to Moscow and demanded the withdrawal of North Korean troops sent as part of the Russian offensive against kyiv.
German Foreign Minister affirms “unwavering” support for kyiv
The head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, arrived in kyiv this Monday for a visit where she intends to express support “unshakeable” Western allies to Ukraine, in the face of the Russian invasion.
“Ukrainians have been yearning for peace for almost 1,000 days. From day one until this very moment, the commitment has been the same: Germany, together with many partners around the world, stands unwaveringly alongside Ukraine.”declared the minister upon her arrival, according to a ministry press release relayed by theAFP.
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“We will support the Ukrainians for as long as they need us so that they can continue their path towards a just peace”she added.
This is Annalena Baerbock's eighth visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, specifies the ministry. Germany is the second largest arms supplier to Ukraine, behind the United States.
Ukrainian woman sentenced to 15 years in prison for helping Russia
A Ukrainian court on Monday sentenced a resident of Sloviansk, a city in eastern Ukraine, to 15 years in prison for high treason for passing military information to Russia.
“As a result of public action by the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office, the court found the citizen guilty of high treason […] she was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property”the Attorney General's Office said on Telegram, according toAFP.
According to the prosecution, this woman transmitted, between March and April 2024, information on the deployments of Ukrainian troops to an acquaintance who served in the Russian army.
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She also, according to this source, gave the exact location of the Ukrainian forces stationed in Sloviansk, as well as the location of checkpoints in the region.
In 2014, pro-Russian separatist forces supported by Moscow briefly seized this city before it returned to Ukrainian control.
Sloviansk is today one of the last major urban centers in the eastern Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control.