This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
A view of damaged residential buildings after Russia attacked Kyiv, Ukraine, with two KN-23 ballistic missiles on Aug. 18, 2024. (Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
North Korea is expanding a key weapons production complex that assembles KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles used by Russia against Ukraine, Reuters reported on Nov.25, citing researchers at the U.S.-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) and satellite images.
Moscow launched around 60 North Korean KN-23 missiles in 2024, CNN reported last week, citing an unnamed Ukrainian defense official. This accounts for nearly one-third of the 194 ballistic missile strikes tracked by Ukraine’s Air Force.
August and September saw a surge in these attacks, with Ukrainian officials publicly identifying the KN-23 as a significant threat.
The facility, known as the February 11 plant, is part of the Ryongsong Machine Complex in Hamhung, the second-largest city in North Korea.
The plant was the only known manufacturer of KN-23 missiles, said Sam Lair, a research fellow at the CNS.
Previously released videos by North Korean state-controlled media showed that the complex produced everything from tank wheels to rocked motor cases, Lair added.
According to October satellite images, an additional assembly building is under construction, as well as a new housing facility that may be intended for workers, the think tank's analysis showed.
The new assembly building is about 60 to 70% the size of the previous one where the missiles were assembled, Reuters reported. The researchers also suggested that the entrances to some of the complex's underground facilities had been improved.
Moscow and Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership agreement in June, pledging to provide military support to one another if either country comes under attack. The Russian parliament ratified the defense treaty in October, amid reports that North Korea was sending troops along with weapons to aid Moscow's war against Ukraine.
Pyongyang has sent an estimated 10,000 troops to Russia, many of whom are stationed in embattled Kursk Oblast and are engaged in combat, a Pentagon spokesperson said during a Nov. 12 briefing.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
