North Korea Says Border Units on Standby to Shoot amid Drones Dispute

A North Korean military guard post, top, and a South Korean post, bottom, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP)
A North Korean military guard post, top, and a South Korean post, bottom, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP)
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North Korea Says Border Units on Standby to Shoot amid Drones Dispute

A North Korean military guard post, top, and a South Korean post, bottom, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP)
A North Korean military guard post, top, and a South Korean post, bottom, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP)

North Korea's artillery units near the border with South Korea have been ordered to be ready to fire amid frictions over drones that Pyongyang says are being flown over the frontier, state media cited the government as saying on Sunday.

Some defectors and activists in South Korea fly aid parcels into the North and drop leaflets criticizing leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea has blamed the South Korean military for the practice. It has also been floating balloons with trash into the South in reprisal.

North Korean state news agency KCNA quoted the defense ministry's spokesperson as saying Pyongyang sees a high likelihood of more drones flying over the capital, with its military told to prepare for all scenarios including conflict.

On Friday, North Korea accused South Korea of sending drones into Pyongyang at night this week and last, and said the intrusion demanded retaliatory action.

Kim Yo Jong, powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned Seoul on Saturday of a "horrible disaster".

She said the blame lies with the South Korean military if it failed to identify drones sent by a non-governmental organization crossing the border.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it could not confirm the North's accusations.



Russia Says It Captures Another Village Near Pokrovsk in Eastern Ukraine

This photograph shows pigeons flying over a residential building damaged by shelling in the town of Kurakhove, located near the front line, in the Pokrovsk district of the eastern Donetsk region, on October 8, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
This photograph shows pigeons flying over a residential building damaged by shelling in the town of Kurakhove, located near the front line, in the Pokrovsk district of the eastern Donetsk region, on October 8, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Russia Says It Captures Another Village Near Pokrovsk in Eastern Ukraine

This photograph shows pigeons flying over a residential building damaged by shelling in the town of Kurakhove, located near the front line, in the Pokrovsk district of the eastern Donetsk region, on October 8, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
This photograph shows pigeons flying over a residential building damaged by shelling in the town of Kurakhove, located near the front line, in the Pokrovsk district of the eastern Donetsk region, on October 8, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

Russia's defense ministry said on Sunday that its forces had taken control of the village of Mykhailivka in eastern Ukraine, where they have been advancing towards the important logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Reuters could not independently confirm the capture of Mykhailivka, which sits alongside a highway southeast of Pokrovsk.

The Ukrainian military said in its daily report that its troops repelled 36 Russian assaults in the Pokrovsk area, including near Mykhailivka.