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Biden aid and North Korean troops: 16 October 2024
Summary
A look back at a day when Washington announced a new weapons package and Kyiv said Pyongyang had entered the war.
What did the war in Ukraine look like on 16 October 2024? Two announcements, made on the same day, pointed to a conflict drawing in more outside actors on both sides.
On that date, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $425 million. The package contained long-range weaponry.
The same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that North Korea had now become directly involved in the war. A senior Ukrainian intelligence official said around 3,000 North Korean troops were in Russia and were training for deployment to Russian-occupied territories.
Sanctions the day before
The previous day, 15 October 2024, the European Union had sanctioned fourteen Iranian individuals and firms. They included Iran Air and several high-ranking members of the Quds Force. The EU accused them of transferring missiles and drones to Moscow to help Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
Taken together, the reports from those two days showed Ukraine's partners adding weapons and penalties, while Kyiv described Russia's own support network widening to include North Korean personnel.
