North Korea Condemns Ukraine’s Incursion into Russia as Act of Terror

Fortification structures set up not far from the Ukraine-Russia border in the Sumy region near the border with Russia, Ukraine, 17 August 2024 amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
Fortification structures set up not far from the Ukraine-Russia border in the Sumy region near the border with Russia, Ukraine, 17 August 2024 amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
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North Korea Condemns Ukraine’s Incursion into Russia as Act of Terror

Fortification structures set up not far from the Ukraine-Russia border in the Sumy region near the border with Russia, Ukraine, 17 August 2024 amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
Fortification structures set up not far from the Ukraine-Russia border in the Sumy region near the border with Russia, Ukraine, 17 August 2024 amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)

North Korea condemned Ukraine's incursion into Russia as an unforgivable act of terror backed by Washington and the West, adding it would always stand with Russia as it seeks to protect its sovereignty, state media said on Sunday.

Ukraine's drive into Russia is a product of the anti-Russia confrontational policy of the United States, which is pushing the situation to the brink of World War Three, KCNA news agency said.

The US handed "astronomical" sums of lethal weapons to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the report said.

"We strongly condemn the armed attack against the Russian territory by the Zelenskiy puppet regime under the control and support of the United States and the West as an unforgivable act of aggression and terror," North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement, according to KCNA.

North Korea has dramatically upgraded its ties with Russia in the past year with two summit meetings by their leaders who pledged closer cooperation in all areas.

In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact in Pyongyang on "comprehensive strategic partnership" that included a mutual defense agreement.

South Korea, Ukraine and the United States have accused North Korea of supplying artillery and missiles to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. North Korea and Russia have denied the allegations.



Iran Reportedly Seeks China’s Help with Surveillance Satellites

A Reuters file photo of a satellite
A Reuters file photo of a satellite
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Iran Reportedly Seeks China’s Help with Surveillance Satellites

A Reuters file photo of a satellite
A Reuters file photo of a satellite

Iran is pursuing partnerships with two Chinese satellite companies as it seeks to expand its capability for remote surveillance and intelligence gathering, The Washington Post reported.

The outreach has included multiple exchanges of delegations in recent months between Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Chinese companies, both of which manufacture and operate remote-sensing satellites with sophisticated cameras, according to US, European and Middle Eastern officials privy to intelligence reports describing the meetings, the newspaper said.

Any deal that emerges could allow Iran to dramatically improve its ability to spy on US and Israeli military installations, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

A confidential assessment seen by The Washington Post warns that a deal with China could supply Iran with enhanced targeting capability for its arsenal of ballistic missiles as well as early warning systems to detect impending attacks. Iran might then be in a position to supply satellite-derived intelligence to allies such as Yemen’s Houthis or to Syrian and Iraqi militias. Iran has previously provided such groups with satellite imagery purchased from China, the document said.

While there were no reports of a formal agreement yet, the assessment described a flourishing relationship between Tehran and one of the companies, Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., with several exchanges of delegations and long stays by IRGC operatives and officials in China.

Chang Guang, based in Changchun in China’s northeastern Jilin province, makes small, low-cost “cubesat” satellites with optical equipment still capable of producing images with a resolution as fine as 30 centimeters.

Iranian officials also were seeking a business arrangement with the Beijing-based MinoSpace Technology Co., which makes the Taijing-series remote sensing satellites, and participated in an exchange of delegations with it, the assessment said.