World News

Libya Unity Talks Upended as Haftar’s Son Linked to Western Fuel Drone Attacks: October 3, 2026

TRIPOLI — Allegations that Saddam Haftar, son of eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar and deputy head of the Libyan National Army, oversaw a cell that launched drone attacks on fuel and power sites in western Libya have upended U.S.-backed unity talks, The Guardian reported Saturday.

Over more than five days in August, drones struck the Zawiya oil complex west of Tripoli, hitting a gasoline-storage tank that held about 4.5 million litres of fuel and causing a large fire and collapse, according to Libya’s National Oil Corporation. Blackouts in the west intensified political pressure on Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity (GNU).

On September 5, three Libyans and one Spanish citizen were arrested in southern Tripoli over an alleged plot said to have included an attack on Tripoli airport. GNU sources told The Guardian the arrested Libyans were linked to the Tareq ben Ziyad brigade and were working for Saddam Haftar. “No formal decision has been made, but in light of what has been discovered it is impossible to work with Saddam,” the sources said.

Donald Trump’s Africa adviser, Massad Boulos, has promoted a merger plan casting Haftar as president and a Dbeibah-family figure as prime minister. The Guardian said the drone campaign was linked to anger over alleged stalling on that plan and southern tribal clashes. Libya has remained split between east and west since 2011.

Sources: The Guardian

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Russia Hits Kyiv’s Northern Bridge in Escalating Strike on Capital Spans: October 3, 2026

KYIV — A Russian strike hit Kyiv’s Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge on Saturday morning, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, injuring two people and damaging the roadway and trolleybus wires as Moscow intensifies attacks on the capital’s river crossings, the BBC reported.

The Northern Bridge strike followed repeated drone hits this week on the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge. Klitschko had warned Friday that “the enemy is tearing Kyiv apart” after a defence-council crisis meeting. Traffic from the left to the right bank on the Northern Bridge was blocked Saturday, he wrote on Telegram. The two spans over the Dnipro link western and eastern Kyiv and had not been struck before Thursday.

Russia said its drones hit bridges used to move Ukrainian troops and military cargo and again urged foreign citizens, including diplomats, to leave Kyiv. Experts quoted by the BBC said drones are unlikely to bring the bridges down but repeated hits can force closures and weaken structures already strained by heavy traffic. Ukrainian lawmakers have discussed ferry and temporary pontoon contingency plans.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a Financial Times interview excerpt cited by the BBC, said Russia wants to destroy bridges, data centres and civilian networks so people flee, casting Putin as deciding there are “no rules now.” Putin has framed the campaign as a response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy sites.

Sources: BBC News

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Spain Housing Protests Surge After Parliament Rejects Emergency Rent Decrees: October 3, 2026

MADRID — Thousands of protesters marched across Spain on Saturday demanding stronger tenant protections after parliament rejected emergency housing decrees on Friday, the BBC and Deutsche Welle reported.

About 50 demonstrations were planned in cities including Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. In Valencia, some protesters clashed with police near a real-estate summit; Spanish media said officers used rubber bullets after barriers were removed and objects thrown. Demonstrators have camped for days in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol. The wave of unrest followed last month’s eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal after a sharp rent increase — a case later reversed by the building’s owners after it became a national flashpoint.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority leftist coalition failed to pass two decrees. One, framed as limiting evictions of vulnerable tenants and curbing speculative purchases, lost 178–172; a second on automatic lease renewals fell 184–166. Catalonia’s Junts party joined the opposition. Sánchez urged lawmakers to “do the right thing, or history will judge you,” as speculation grew about an early election.

Madrid’s Tenants’ Union said rejection “exacerbates the housing crisis” and called for a general strike. Opponents argued the packages could shrink rental supply.

Sources: BBC News, Deutsche Welle

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Argentina Launches $350,000 Citizenship-by-Investment “Golden Passport” Scheme: October 3, 2026

PARIS / BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s government launched a citizenship-by-investment program offering wealthy foreigners a path to Argentine nationality via a non-refundable $350,000 contribution to the National Treasury or an $800,000 government bond created for the scheme, Deutsche Welle and the Buenos Aires Herald reported.

Economy Minister Luis Caputo and Cabinet Chief Diego Santilli announced the program during “Argentina Week” in Paris. Applications are due to open in the fourth quarter of 2026. The Economy Ministry said the move aims to “further strengthen the Argentine Republic’s fiscal and financial position” and attract capital under President Javier Milei’s pro-investment agenda.

Spouses and children aged 18–25 (single, childless) would pay $100,000 each; minors $25,000. A typical family of a principal applicant, spouse and two minors could apply for a total of $500,000, the ministry said. Funds must move through the formal financial system under anti-money-laundering rules. Caputo said the design incorporates OECD and FATF standards and advice from international investment-migration firms.

Applications will be vetted by a Citizenship by Investment Programs Agency with input from intelligence, financial-crime and security bodies; Argentina’s National Directorate of Migration makes the final grant or refusal. Payment alone does not guarantee approval.

Sources: Deutsche Welle, Buenos Aires Herald

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Hawaii’s Iconic 550-Year-Old Hōlei Sea Arch Collapses Into the Pacific: October 3, 2026

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK — Hawaii’s famous Hōlei Sea Arch, a roughly 90-foot (27.4-metre) lava-rock formation estimated to be about 550 years old, has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, the BBC reported, citing the U.S. National Park Service.

The exact time of the collapse is unknown. The arch still projected from the coast at the end of Chain of Craters Road on September 23 but was gone by September 27, the park service said. Officials believe it fell while the park was temporarily closed during Tropical Storm Nolo last weekend.

“The coastline flanking the sea arch has shown signs of instability for years,” the National Park Service said. Earthquakes during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse had damaged nearby cliffs. In 2020, new cracks forced closure of the original viewing area; a safer overlook opened months later. Waves later broke rock from the arch’s base. In 2021, the park warned the formation had a limited lifespan and would eventually crumble.

The collapse marks “the latest transformation of the park’s remote and rugged coastline,” the park service said, adding that new arches can form as cliffs migrate inland. The site had been a heavily photographed tourist landmark on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Sources: BBC News

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U.S. Coast Guard Intercepts Cargo Ship Carrying Fuel Bound for Cuba: October 3, 2026

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard said it intercepted a large cargo ship carrying fuel bound for Cuba, as the Trump administration’s oil embargo against the island continued, The Guardian and Reuters reported Friday.

The vessel, named Grace and about 91 metres (300 feet) long, was stopped on September 5 in the Caribbean Sea between Cuba and Mexico. The Coast Guard said Grace was “believed to be employing tactics common amongst the dark fleet.” A boarding team escorted the ship to Mexico, where a Mexican navy inspection team “confirmed the presence of large quantities of fuel in the vessel’s ballast tanks” and containers believed to contain illicit fuel.

Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard commandant, said in a statement: “The high seas are not a sanctuary for lawlessness. Dark fleet actors who employ deceptive tactics to engage in illicit activities will not evade justice.” The agency said the Grace interdiction followed an earlier boarding of the M/V Jaira Provider, another vessel it said was carrying illicit fuel toward Cuba.

A U.S.-imposed oil blockade earlier this year has intensified fuel shortages and blackouts in Cuba after shipments from traditional suppliers were disrupted. The Trump administration has said its goal is to change Cuba’s government. The Coast Guard statement did not say how authorities determined the fuel’s destination or how much fuel Grace carried.

Sources: The Guardian, Reuters

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World Brief, Evening: October 2, 2026

G7 leaders locked in a formal 100-million-barrel diesel-and-crude release with a front-loaded diesel push in the next 20 days; Kyiv’s mayor said Russian strikes are “tearing” the capital apart after a fourth hit on the Southern Bridge; and Taiwan took delivery of its first two new U.S. F-16V fighters. Ten stories as of Friday evening, October 2.

1. Brussels / G7. G7 leaders issued a joint statement Friday after a virtual meeting, committing to a coordinated International Energy Agency release of 100 million barrels of diesel and crude over four months, including a “frontloaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days,” BBC News reported, citing the official G7 text. Members also agreed to refrain from energy-export restrictions on one another — the flashpoint after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a U.S. diesel export ban. Trump later said such a ban was “never really on the table.” Brent crude briefly slipped below $100 a barrel before returning near $102 by Friday evening; UK pump diesel hit a record £2 a litre. French President Emmanuel Macron, who chaired the call, said the aim is to bring down petroleum-product prices, “particularly diesel.”

2. Kyiv / Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned Friday that intensified Russian drone and missile strikes are “tearing Kyiv apart,” after the city’s defence council held a crisis meeting, the BBC reported. The key Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge over the Dnipro was struck again on Friday evening — the fourth hit in two days — and all metro and automobile traffic across that crossing is now suspended, with restrictions still on the capital’s two other main bridges. Klitschko said the city faces a “very dramatic situation” targeting critical infrastructure, logistics and housing, and framed the moment as about “survival.” One person was killed overnight when a multi-storey residential building was hit. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a Financial Times interview excerpt, said Russia wants to destroy bridges, data centres and civilian networks so people flee; President Vladimir Putin has cast the campaign as a response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy sites.

3. France. Nationwide lycée protests over teacher shortages, overcrowding and rundown buildings remained violent Friday evening: Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 735 of France’s 3,700 high schools were affected “one way or another” — about 30 percent fewer than Thursday — while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported 1,747 arrests on Friday and more than 5,000 since Monday, France 24 and the BBC reported. Roughly 400 schools were closed; officials cite projectiles, fires and attacks on police, staff and journalists. At least 65 staff (including 40 principals) and about 170 students have been injured since the movement began; more than 100 schools have severe damage. Unions and student groups called for fresh rallies Tuesday; trade unions also called a teachers’ strike that day. Rights groups have accused police of heavy-handed tactics against minors; authorities say four probes into alleged police violence are open.

4. Taitung / Taiwan. Taiwan received its first two U.S.-made F-16V Block 70 fighter jets Friday at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung, part of an $8 billion Lockheed Martin deal for 66 aircraft approved in President Donald Trump’s first term, Al Jazeera reported with AFP and Reuters. The jets flew via Hawaii and Guam and touched down at noon local time after months of delay. Defence Minister Wellington Koo said more F-16Vs would arrive before year-end. The delivery comes a week after Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington and amid Taiwanese concern over U.S. arms commitments; a State Department spokesperson said Washington continues to stand with Indo-Pacific partners, “that includes Taiwan.”

5. New Delhi / Mumbai. Indian police detained hundreds of demonstrators Friday as the Gen Z–led Cockroach Janta Party and allies protested in New Delhi and Mumbai demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a voter-roll controversy, Al Jazeera with Reuters reported. Delhi authorities invoked Section 163 limits on gatherings of more than five, closed metro stations around Jantar Mantar, and mid-afternoon reports put capital arrests above 500 — later tallies near 1,000 — including former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Marlena. Crowds also gathered at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park under a heavy police presence. The Election Commission denies “vote theft” claims and says roll cleanups removed ineligible names; CJP convenor Saurav Das said the campaign ends only when Kumar resigns. Congress-led opposition actions are also planned next week.

6. Brasília / Brazil. Two days before Sunday’s first-round presidential election, a new Datafolha poll put President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at 45% of valid votes and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro at 40%, with a runoff simulation statistically tied at 48%–45%, Folha de S.Paulo reported. The survey of 2,506 voters (Sept. 29–Oct. 1) has a two-point margin of error; 17% said they could still change their minds. The week’s Our Lady of Aparecida controversy helped Lula among Catholics and Bolsonaro among evangelicals, Datafolha said. Brazilians also elect Congress, governors and state assemblies on Sunday; a runoff, if needed, is October 25.

7. Addis Ababa / Asmara. Ethiopia and Eritrea’s diplomatic rupture deepened Friday as fighting continued in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions between federal forces and a TPLF-led opposition alliance Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea of backing — charges Asmara rejects, Al Jazeera reported. Ethiopia closed its Asmara embassy and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats out; Eritrea said it had “no option but to reciprocate.” Egypt and Ethiopia also expelled each other’s diplomats amid Nile and regional tensions. An explosion was reported at Ethiopia’s Defence Ministry in Addis Ababa early Thursday; AFP cited a diplomatic source saying small drones were the likely cause. Analysts warned the Horn conflict could draw in Sudan.

8. Antarctica. Scientists confirmed Antarctica’s 2026 winter sea-ice maximum peaked on September 14 at 17.59 million square kilometres — the third-lowest maximum in the satellite record since 1979 and about a million square kilometres below the long-term average, the Guardian reported, citing the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center. The four lowest winter maxima have now all fallen in the past four years. NSIDC’s Walt Meier said variability delayed the call, but extent has declined since mid-September. Monash University’s Ariaan Purich called the pattern “a now problem,” not a one-off. Less winter ice does not raise sea level directly but can expose ice shelves and disrupt Southern Ocean ecosystems.

9. Washington / United States. The U.S. Supreme Court’s new term opens Monday with a freshly granted immigration case on the docket: on Thursday the justices agreed to review a Trump administration policy of mandatory detention without bond hearings for millions of people inside the United States without lawful status, Reuters reported. The appeal challenges a Second Circuit ruling for Brazilian national Ricardo Aparecido Barbosa da Cunha. DHS’s July 2025 guidance treated many interior noncitizens as “applicants for admission,” reversing a nearly three-decade bond practice. Separately, the family of Renee Good, shot dead by an ICE officer in Minneapolis in January, filed federal wrongful-death and civil-rights suits this week against the United States and senior officials, NPR reported.

10. Wellington / New Zealand. New Zealand’s 54th Parliament was dissolved on October 1, opening the formal campaign window ahead of Writ Day on Sunday, October 4, when the Governor-General directs the Electoral Commission to run the general election set for November 7, according to Elections NZ and parliamentary timelines. Official results are due later in November, with the writ return deadline into early December. The dissolution ends the parliamentary term and starts the interregnum caretaker period for government business.

Coming Up

Confirmed dates on The Watch: October 4 — Brazil’s general election (runoff October 25 if needed). October 4 — New Zealand writ day. October 5 — U.S. Supreme Court new term opens. October 6 — French student rallies and teachers’ strike called amid lycée unrest. October 12–18 — IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; BBC News; Al Jazeera; France 24; Folha de S.Paulo / Datafolha; The Guardian; NPR; Consilium / G7; Elections NZ.

World Brief: October 2, 2026

G7 leaders agreed to release up to 100 million barrels of diesel and crude to cool record pump prices amid the Iran war; Russian strikes forced partial closures on three Kyiv bridges; and Renee Good’s family sued Trump officials over her ICE shooting death in Minneapolis. Ten stories as of Friday morning, October 2.

1. Brussels / Washington. G7 leaders agreed Friday to work “in a coordinated manner” to ease soaring diesel prices, including a release of strategic reserves of “up to 100 million barrels” within four months under International Energy Agency coordination, BBC News reported. French President Emmanuel Macron said the group would also make refinery production “more flexible” and avoid measures that restrict energy trade among partner countries. The urgent video call followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to ban American diesel exports unless Europe tapped its stocks; Trump later said Europe had agreed to release a “massive amount” of diesel. Average UK diesel hit a record £2 a litre for the first time, the RAC said, as the Iran war and Strait of Hormuz disruption keep refining and shipping tight. The EU earlier said it rejected unilateral U.S. export-ban threats while remaining open to collective IEA action.

2. Kyiv / Ukraine. Russian aerial attacks forced the partial closure Friday of three bridges over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, the city’s mayor and the Associated Press via ABC News reported, snarling traffic in what officials described as a new disruption tactic. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired more than 100 drones overnight at Kyiv and eight other regions — nearly half of them jet-powered types that are hard to stop — killing at least one person in a Kyiv high-rise. Ukraine’s foreign minister said Kyiv has received separate partial-truce proposals from the United States, India, Turkey and Egypt focused on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping; Kyiv says it will accept an energy-and-Black-Sea ceasefire package. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia lost nearly 300 square kilometres of occupied territory between March and September and suffered more than 46,000 casualties in September, its highest monthly toll this year.

3. Minneapolis / Minnesota. The family of Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen shot dead by an ICE officer during a January immigration sweep in Minneapolis, filed two federal lawsuits Thursday against the United States and senior Trump administration officials, NPR and BBC News reported. One suit under the Federal Tort Claims Act alleges wrongful death and battery against the government over officer Jonathan Ross’s use of force. The second alleges a civil-rights conspiracy against officials including White House aide Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and border czar Tom Homan, arguing Good’s death was a “predictable and intended product” of Operation Metro Surge. A second Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, was killed by immigration agents weeks later. No federal criminal charges have been announced.

4. Washington / United States. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a challenge to a Trump administration policy that subjects millions of people living in the United States without lawful status to mandatory detention without bond hearings during deportation proceedings, Reuters reported. The justices granted review in an administration appeal of a Second Circuit ruling for Brazilian national Ricardo Aparecido Barbosa da Cunha. DHS’s July 2025 guidance treated noncitizens already inside the country as “applicants for admission,” reversing a nearly three-decade approach that allowed bond in many interior cases. The Court will hear the dispute in its new term beginning Monday.

5. Paris / France. French high-school protests over teacher shortages, overcrowding and rundown buildings continued Friday with fires and police standoffs as education authorities said more than 560 lycées were disrupted, France 24 with AFP reported. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said roughly 2,000 people have been taken into custody since the movement began — about 90 percent of them minors — and asked prosecutors to hold parents liable for protest damage. Thursday alone saw 1,949 arrests and 305 injured officers, the interior ministry said; Education Minister Édouard Geffray said at least 65 staff, including 40 principals, have been hurt. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has called the unrest “urban violence” and convened crisis meetings as the protests spread beyond Paris.

6. Brasília / Brazil. A row over Brazil’s patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, has gripped the final days before Sunday’s first-round presidential election, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro still deadlocked in the polls, The Guardian reported. Speculation that Bolsonaro — an evangelical senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro — might strip Aparecida of her official status sparked nationwide outrage; Bolsonaro called the claims “fake news.” Analysts said the Catholic-evangelical fault line could tip a knife-edge race that may force an October 25 runoff. Brazilians also elect Congress, governors and state assemblies on Sunday.

7. Addis Ababa / Asmara. Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic relations Thursday as fighting intensified in northern Ethiopia between federal forces and an opposition alliance Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea of backing, Al Jazeera reported. Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats out within 48 hours; Eritrea said it had “no option but to reciprocate.” Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat and Cairo answered in kind amid Nile and regional tensions. An explosion was reported at Ethiopia’s Defence Ministry in Addis Ababa early Thursday; AFP cited a diplomatic source saying small drones were the likely cause. Analysts warned the Horn of Africa conflict could draw in Sudan.

8. Algiers / Algeria. Algeria’s National Assembly on Thursday approved a bill imposing the death penalty for deliberate arson of forests, woods or fields after deadly wildfires in the country’s northeast, BBC News and Al Jazeera reported. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered tougher criminal penalties after more than 100 fires during a northern African heatwave. Officials put the death toll at 12; an independent local tally drawn from families and authorities reached about 200. Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa told parliament arson had reached “the level of organised crime.” Algeria retains capital punishment in law but has observed a long de facto moratorium on executions.

9. New Delhi / India. Indian security forces detained hundreds of demonstrators Friday as the Gen Z–led Cockroach Janta Party and allied groups protested in New Delhi and Mumbai demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid a voter-roll controversy, Al Jazeera with Reuters reported. Police surrounded a barricaded site near Jantar Mantar, closed metro stations, and invoked Section 163 limits on gatherings of more than five. Mid-afternoon reports put New Delhi arrests above 500, including former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Marlena. Demonstrators said they want answers on alleged “vote theft”; authorities framed the clampdown as public-order enforcement ahead of further mobilisations.

10. Canberra / Australia. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said Friday that Steam, Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft still show “significant gaps” in protecting children online, according to a transparency report covering October 2025 to March 2026, BBC News reported. About nine in 10 Australian children aged 8–17 play online games. Valve’s Steam was the only major provider that did not use industry-standard hash-matching for known harmful content and relied heavily on self-declared ages during the period; it has since begun credit-card age checks. Roblox’s image-detection tool had about 51 percent recall in the review window. The commissioner urged platforms to level up age assurance and proactive safety tooling.

Coming up. Confirmed dates on The Watch: October 4 — Brazil’s general election (runoff October 25 if needed). October 4 — New Zealand writ day ahead of the November 7 election. October 5 — U.S. Supreme Court new term opens. October 12–18 — IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok.

Sources: BBC News; Associated Press; Reuters; NPR; Al Jazeera; AFP; France 24; The Guardian; eSafety Commissioner.

Australia Finds Significant Child-Safety Gaps on Steam, Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft: October 2, 2026

CANBERRA — Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said Friday that Steam, Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft still show “significant gaps” in protecting children online, according to a transparency report based on compulsory notices covering October 2025 to March 2026, the BBC and the regulator reported.

About nine in 10 Australian children aged 8–17 play online games. Valve, which owns Steam and Steam Chat, was the only provider that did not use industry-standard hash-matching to detect known harmful content and did not proactively scan chats beyond a URL tool that mainly blocked scams, eSafety found. Steam relied on self-declared ages during the period and has since begun credit-card age checks; eSafety is pressing for more assurance options. Roblox and Valve trained language detectors only on internal datasets without regular retraining; Roblox’s image tool had about 51 percent recall. Roblox did introduce stronger age assurance from December 2025 after Online Safety Act engagement, limiting some high-risk features to verified adults.

Epic Games (Fortnite) and Mojang (Minecraft) still largely let users self-declare adulthood to unlock higher-risk communication features. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said improvements followed regulatory pressure, including court-enforceable undertakings accepted from Roblox, but “significant work” remains. Gaming platforms are exempt from Australia’s under-16 social-media ban.

Sources: BBC News, eSafety Commissioner

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South Korea Warns Ukraine of Further Action Over North Korean POW Disclosure: October 2, 2026

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warned Friday that Seoul will take “additional measures” if Ukraine continues to refuse an official apology over the public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war, Yonhap and Channel News Asia reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed at the U.N. General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region to South Korea. Seoul says the transfer was covered by a confidentiality understanding to protect the prisoners; Ukrainian officials have denied any secrecy agreement. Lee accused Kyiv of making him a “liar,” expressed “serious regret” over Ukrainian remarks about an imminent inter-Korean clash, and said the dispute touched “the dignity of the South Korean people.”

Foreign ministers Cho Hyun and Andrii Sybiha have been discussing the tone and content of a possible Ukrainian response, a senior Seoul official said. Sybiha called the episode a “diplomatic misunderstanding” and said South Korea remains important to Ukraine, RBC-Ukraine reported. The prisoners were captured in January 2025 and arrived in South Korea in mid-September, according to officials.

Sources: BBC News, Yonhap News Agency, Channel News Asia

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