Ukraine war latest: US announces new defense aid package for Ukraine worth $400 million

Key developments on Oct. 21:
The U.S. has allocated a new military assistance package for Ukraine worth $400 million, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during his to Kyiv on Oct. 21, Ukrinform reported.
Later in the day, the Pentagon said in its press release that the recent package included HIMARS air defense systems, tube-launched, optically tracked, and wire-guided (TOW) missiles, M113 armored personnel carriers, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, and ammunition for high-mobility artillery.
Washington also pledged to provide Kyiv with 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition, as well as 60 mm, 81 mm, and 120 mm mortar systems and rounds, among other weapons and training equipment.
The Pentagon chief arrived in Kyiv in a surprise visit to discuss further support for Ukraine as the uncertain U.S. presidential election looms.
There are fears that if Republican nominee and ex-President Donald Trump beats his Democratic challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris, he might withdraw or scale down U.S. support for Ukraine and force the country toward painful concessions.
Washington has allocated some $175 billion in assistance to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, including roughly $70 billion worth of arms and military equipment.
Despite the U.S. support, Russian forces keep grinding on in the country’s east while Ukraine braces for fresh strikes against the energy grid with the coming winter.
Russian authorities detained 18 North Korean soldiers who abandoned their positions in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 21.
Moscow’s ally Pyongyang is preparing to deploy around 11,000 soldiers to help Russia’s war against Ukraine early next month, Kyiv said, adding that some had already arrived.
Suspilne earlier reported on Oct. 15, citing unnamed intelligence officials, that eighteen North Korean soldiers had deserted their positions in Russian regions near the Ukrainian border.
Hromadske also reported, citing a military intelligence source, that around 40 North Korean soldiers had arrived in Russia to exchange skills with their Russian counterparts.
After the training, the 18 North Korean soldiers that were detained had been left in a forest in Kursk Oblast without food and instructions for several days, leading to them abandon their post to find the Russian command on Oct. 14.
Two days later, the missing soldiers were found and detained by Russian authorities roughly 60 kilometers (almost 40 miles) from their original position, Hromadske wrote.
South Korea confirmed the transfer of North Korean military personnel to Russia, calling it a “grave security threat.” U.S. Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Michael R. Turner said that such a step must constitute a “red line for the United States and NATO.”
A video that emerged online on Oct. 18 purportedly showed North Korean soldiers in a Russian military camp receiving equipment and preparing for deployment against Ukraine.
Russia and North Korea have deepened their cooperation throughout the full-scale war, with Moscow receiving extensive packages of artillery shells and ballistic missiles.
The Kremlin spokesperson on Oct. 21  called the recent reports about the dispatch of North Korean troops to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine “contradictory” but did not confirm nor deny the claims.
“We see a lot of contradictory information,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Russian media, the state-controlled news agency Interfax reported.
“The South Koreans say one thing, and then the Pentagon says that they have no confirmation, so there is a lot of contradictory information. So that’s probably how it should be approached.”
The U.S. is yet to confirm the presence of the North Korean troops in Russia or Ukraine, though a senior U.S. lawmaker said such a step would mean crossing a “red line” and necessitate immediate action.
“(North Korea) is our close neighbor and partner, and we are developing relations in many spheres, which is our sovereign right,” Peskov said, claiming that this cooperation is “not directed against third countries.”
The spokesperson said questions regarding the conduct of the war should be directed toward the Defense Ministry. The recent comments signify a shift in rhetoric from earlier this month when Peskov outright dismissed the reports as “fake news.”
Russian forces are attempting to storm the Selydove sector in Donetsk Oblast, using large numbers of infantry, Ukraine’s National Guard said on Oct. 21.
Selydove, with a pre-war population of nearly 21,000 people, is located 18 kilometers south (11 miles) of Pokrovsk, which has been a focal point of Russia’s offensive in recent months in the Donetsk sector of the front line.
According to the National Guard, Russian troops periodically conduct mechanized assaults near Selydove, involving from three to five armored vehicles.
Ukrainian troops repelled 17 Russian assault attempts in the Pokrovsk sector over the past day, the statement read.
The news came amid claims spread by Russian propaganda that Ukrainian and Russian troops are fighting street-to-street battles on the outskirts of Selydove.
When asked by the Kyiv Independent about the situation in the area, the Ukrainian military refused to comment.
Throughout 2024, Ukraine has faced a challenging situation in defending the front line, particularly in Donetsk Oblast, where Russia has consistently concentrated its offensive potential.
Following Ukraine’s withdrawal from Vuhledar in early October, Russian forces have been focusing their efforts against the Donetsk Oblast towns of Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Kurakhove, where outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian soldiers are slowly losing ground under Russian pressure.
Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Buk-M3 air defense system overnight on Oct. 21, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported.
The operation was reportedly carried out by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces together with other military units.
The Buk-M3 is the latest version of the Soviet-era Buk systems family. It is a medium-range system that can intercept aerial targets, including tactical ballistic missiles, at a range of up to 65 kilometers (40 miles).
The Russian anti-aircraft system was located around 60 kilometers from the front line, the General Staff said. The cost of such equipment is estimated at $40-50 million.
The statement did not specify the exact location of the targeted system.
Ukrainian forces have destroyed 979 Russian anti-aircraft systems throughout the full-scale war, the General Staff said in its regular morning report on Oct. 21.