The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces have taken control of the town of Selydove, located near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. According to Tass, Russian troops have also taken control of three other locations in the Donetsk region: the town of Gornyak and the villages of Dobrovolye and Katerinovka. This information comes from Russian agencies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a telephone conversation with South Korean President Yun Seok-yol about the possible involvement of the North Korean military in the Ukrainian conflict. Both leaders agreed to strengthen the exchange of information and expertise at various levels, including the highest, to develop a strategy of action and a list of countermeasures against the escalation of the conflict, including involving common partners in cooperation.

Following the opening of a plant in Ukraine by German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, a Kremlin spokesman said the facility would become a “legitimate target” for Russian forces. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger confirmed that the group’s first armored vehicle maintenance plant had opened in Ukraine and that the company plans to begin production of Lynx combat vehicles by the end of the year.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has called military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang “illegal” and a significant threat to global security, expressing concerns about the possible deployment of North Korean troops to Russia. He stressed at a cabinet meeting that there were indications that North Korean soldiers could be ready to intervene on the front lines against Ukrainian forces.

According to the South Korean intelligence agency (NIS), some North Korean generals and soldiers sent to Russia to support military operations may have already been transferred to strategic areas of the conflict. During a confidential hearing of the Parliament, intelligence leaders reported that they are checking the possibility of an imminent deployment of North Korean troops, including senior military officials. In addition, the NIS revealed that the Russian army is teaching over a hundred military terms in Russian to North Korean soldiers to overcome linguistic difficulties in coordinating operations.