Escalating Tensions: Russia Targets Kursk as Reports Surface of Significant North Korean Casualties
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Russia Escalates Kursk Strikes, Heavy N. Korean Losses Reported |
Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Sirsky said Moscow had stepped up attacks on Ukrainian troops fighting to hold on to the enclave in Russia's Kursk region and raised tensions in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region , according to U.S. reports Hundreds of North Korean soldiers were killed and wounded during the Kursk attack .
Russian troops have carried out deep attacks in the Kursk region for a third day, Sirsky told government and regional officials in an online speech Tuesday, adding that Russia was exploiting North Korea's heavily wounded soldiers "active practice"
Ukraine's military said in a statement late Monday that its forces have repelled 42 Russian attacks in Kursk. An earlier report said the number of militias rose to 68 in 24 hours, up from about 40 per day last week.
Ukraine invaded the Kursk region in August but has since lost more than 40 percent of the area. Military analysts say the offensive has increased the pressure on the Ukrainian army.
Sirsky added that fighting has intensified in eastern Donetsk province, where Russian troops have made rapid advances this year. He added that Russian forces continued to focus on attacks on logistics centers in Pokrovsk and Kurakhov.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces captured the village of Haniwka, north of Pokrovsk, the site of Ukraine's only coal mine that produces coke for the steel industry
The Ukrainian Army Chief did not touch down on the village, but a late-night report said his forces had repelled 23 of 35 Russian attacks in the area.
The loss of North Korea
In the same vein, an American military official announced that North Korean troops had killed and wounded hundreds of units in the Russian border region of Kursk
U.S. the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “Our final estimate of North Korean casualties is in the hundreds,” adding that the numbers “include everything from minor injuries to deaths in field” and “soldiers of all ranks.” also" and added " ".
He attributed this huge loss mainly to the lack of combat experience of the North Korean army, saying, "These are not strong soldiers. They have never been to war," noting that this may be the case "lost them" in war Ukrainians
Sirsky said the statement from the U.S. from a military official came after Russia said North Korean units had been thrown into “heavy attacks” in the border area of Kursk for days
Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Russia, including the Kursk region, boosting military cooperation between the two countries after a landmark defense agreement was signed that went into effect earlier this month . . . .
Trump’s ambassador to Ukraine
On the political front, two people familiar with the matter said that the U.S. is in a state of shock. President-elect Donald Trump's ambassador to Ukraine will visit Kiev and other European capitals in early January, as the incoming administration seeks a swift end to Russia's war in Ukraine.
Two sources said Lt. Col. Gen. Retiree Keith Kellogg, who will serve as Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, doesn't plan to travel to Moscow during the trip
The press release said the ambassador will visit top leaders in Kiev , and his team will work to arrange meetings with leaders in other European capitals such as Rome and Paris. A source cautioned that plans for the trip have not yet been finalized and could change the route.
The meetings will focus on “fact finding” for the incoming Trump administration rather than active negotiations, the two sources said. Through a planned visit, the president-elect made ending the war in Ukraine a top priority.
Trump had promised to end the war within 24 hours of leaving office, if not sooner.
A source in this regard said yesterday Tuesday that NATO has taken on the task of coordinating Western military aid to Ukraine rather than the United States as planned, a move widely seen as strategic a way to defend the aid program in the face of Trump , who attacks the League.
The move, which has been delayed for months, gives NATO a more direct role in efforts to counter Russia’s war with Ukraine, but it is less likely to send its troops
But diplomats acknowledge that handing over the mission to NATO could have a limited impact, given that the U.S. is committed to the mission. under Trump could still wreak havoc by drastically cutting aid to Ukraine, which is a key power in the alliance and supplies most of the weapons to Towards the key