Russia announced on Tuesday that it had successfully captured the eastern Ukrainian town of Selydove, along with the town of Hirnyk, as open-source data indicated that Moscow’s forces are advancing at their fastest pace in over a year. This advancement occurs amidst reports of North Korean troops being sent to Russia, raising concerns that the ongoing conflict is drawing in new players. Analysts suggest that the nearly 2.5-year-old war is entering a particularly dangerous phase, marked by Moscow's intensified military operations and shifts in international dynamics.

Selydove, which had a pre-war population of approximately 20,000, had been under sustained attack for the past week. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov congratulated the 114th motorized rifle brigade for taking control of Hirnyk, which had a population of over 10,000 and is located about 12 km from Selydove. Although Ukraine's military did not provide a direct comment on the claims, it reported 31 combat clashes along the Pokrovsk front within the past 24 hours, including near Selydove. Open-source intelligence from Ukraine’s Deep State indicated that part of Selydove is now under Russian control, with approximately one-third of the town remaining a grey zone.

Russian pro-war bloggers reported that Moscow’s forces have breached Ukrainian defenses at key points along the front in southern Donbas. They are reportedly preparing to encircle the town of Kurakhove and are gearing up for an assault on Pokrovsk. Recent analyses show that Russian forces achieved significant territorial gains, capturing 196.1 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory during the week of October 20-27, which is the most rapid advance since at least the beginning of this year.

Despite Ukraine's efforts, including recent offensives into Russia’s Kursk region, the Russian military's numerical superiority in personnel and equipment has become evident. Currently, Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea—which was annexed in 2014—and approximately 80% of the Donbas region, which encompasses the Donetsk and Luhansk areas, along with more than 70% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. To gain complete control of the Donbas, Russia would need to capture an additional 10,000 square kilometers (3,860 square miles).

As these developments unfold, the US Pentagon indicated that it would not impose new restrictions on Ukraine's use of American weapons if North Korea becomes more involved in the conflict. Reports suggest that around 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia for military training.