Foreign hands in Russia's war: the signals before 21 October 2024

What did the international reaction to Russia's war in Ukraine look like on 21 October 2024, and what had led up to it? The days before that date were dominated by reports that the conflict was drawing in more outside actors.

On 16 October 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said North Korea had become directly involved in the war. A senior Ukrainian intelligence official said around 3,000 North Korean troops were in Russia and training for deployment to Russian-occupied territories. On 18 October 2024, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said North Korea had started sending troops to fight alongside Russia. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called a security meeting and said the international community must respond with all available means.

Western measures

Other governments were also acting. On 15 October 2024, the European Union sanctioned fourteen Iranian individuals and firms, including Iran Air and several high-ranking members of the Quds Force, over alleged transfers of missiles and drones to Moscow for use in the invasion of Ukraine. On 16 October 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new $425 million military aid package for Ukraine that contained long-range weaponry.

A crash in Sudan

On 21 October 2024 itself, a separate report concerned an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane that crashed in North Darfur, Sudan. The crew of two Russians and three Sudanese nationals were killed. The Rapid Support Forces claimed they had shot the aircraft down with a surface-to-air missile and said they had recovered its flight recorder. Russia said its diplomats in Sudan were investigating the crash.

Taken together, the reports from those days showed a war with a widening circle of foreign participants and responses, from troop deployments to sanctions and military aid.