Ukraine war latest: Putin arrives in North Korea; Russian forces 'move closer to key supply route' (2024)

Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea, the Kremlin has confirmed.

The Russian president touched down in the country's capital, Pyongyang, where he will begin his two-day visit.

He was greeted at the airport by North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, according to RIA Novosti.

A formal meeting between the two leaders is expected to take place tomorrow.

In a presidential order issued yesterday, Putin said Moscow was looking to sign a "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty" with North Korea.

The international community has raised alarm bells regarding his trip, with NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg saying the military alliance was concerned about the support Russia could provide for North Korea's missile andnuclear programmes.

Three Russian government aircraft have landed in Pyongyang in North Korea, according to flight tracking data.

It is unclear if Vladimir Putin is on board any of the planes, but their arrival comes as the Russian president is expected to visit the country.

Flight Radar 24 shows the planes travelled from Yakutsk in east Siberia, where Putin travelled to earlier today.

Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea is an "opportunity for Russia to make mischief", an expert tells Sky News.

The Russian president is due to arrive in the country this evening for a two-day visit.

During his trip, he is expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss an arms arrangement between Pyongyang and Moscow.

The deal could see North Korea provide Russia with badly needed munitions in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers.

Dr John Nilsson-Wright from the Centre for Geopolitics says the trip is a "very clear attempt" by Mr Putin to emphasise that Russia is not isolated.

"This is an opportunity for Russia to make mischief internationally by undermining the international sanctions' regime," he adds.

On security, though, he warns that Russia will have to be "cautious".

"There is a danger that they could provoke a reaction from South Korea, and Russia and South Korea do have their own economic relationship," he says.

Dutch outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be NATO's new secretary-general, according to reports.

Dutch news outlet NOS quoted sources as saying Mr Rutte will replace Jens Stoltenberg when he steps down in October.

Mr Stoltenberg endorsed the 57-year-old, saying he was a "very strong candidate" for the job.

The US, UK, France, Slovakia, Hungary and Germany have publicly backed Mr Rutte as Mr Stoltenberg's successor.

Romania has not yet given him the green light.

NATO takes decisions by consensus, so any candidateneeds the support of all 32 allies.

Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive in North Korea shortly.

The Russian president will head to Pyongyang to meet the country's leader Kim Jong Un during the two-day trip.

The visit marks the first time he has been to North Korea in 24 years.

It comes amid growing concerns about an arms arrangement between Pyongyang and Moscow.

The deal could see North Korea provide Russia with badly needed munitions in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that would enhance the threat posed by Kim's nuclear weapons and missile programme.

Russia has claimed to have destroyed a Ukrainian air force command post along the Dnipro River.

In a post on Telegram, the Russian defence ministry said drone units located a "cluster" of Ukrainian air force "manpower" inside buildings on the right bank of the river, and paratroopers pinned down their radio frequencies.

"By precise strikes from the closed firing position, the tank crews wiped out the enemy's command post and UAV control post," it added.

UAV stands for unmanned aerial vehicle, and is often used to refer to drones.

Russian forces have likely taken control of a Ukrainian village in the eastern Donetsk region, the UK's defence ministry has said.

In an intelligence update, it said the fall of Novooleksandrivka, which is around 12 miles (20km) from Avdiivka, means Russian forces have moved closer to a key supply route - the T-05-04.

Ukraine uses the road to send supplies to its forces based further east in the country.

The MoD said it was "highly likely" Russia's next objective would be capturing another nearby village called Vozdvyzhenka.

Taking control of that area would help "sever" the supply road and "disrupt Ukrainian logistics", it added.

Russia has been advancing throughout the region after taking control of Avdiivka earlier this year.

Ukraine has claimed responsibility for an overnight drone attack on a Russian oil facility.

The strike caused a massive blaze to spread across the oil reservoir in Russia's Rostov region, with more than 200 firefighters deployed to put it out.

No casualties were reported, Russia's Emergencies Ministry said.

It marks the latest long-range strike by Kyiv's forces on a border region.

A Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to give the information to the media, said the attack was a special operation of Ukraine's security service, known as the SBU.

The drones targeted two Rostov oil depots that have 22 oil reservoirs, the official said.

Kyiv officials normally decline comment about attacks on Russian territory, though they sometimes refer obliquely to them.

A Ukrainian soldier has been beheaded by Russian soldiers in Donetsk, Ukraine's prosecutor general has claimed.

Andriy Kostin shared an image on social media purporting to show a decapitated head on the bonnet of an armoured vehicle. Sky News has not verified the photo.

"This terrible barbarism must have no place in the 21st century," he said.

He said the incident was proof that Russia has committed war crimes as part of its "planned strategy".

"These criminal orders were given at the command level of the battalion and company of the occupation forces," Mr Kostin added.

A pre-trial investigation into the incident has been launched, Mr Kostin's office said in a statement shared on Telegram.