Russia Selenskyj speaks of high North Korean losses
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has reported heavy losses suffered by Russian units in their attempt to recapture the Kursk region.
05.01.2025, 04:40
SDA
"The Russian army lost an infantry battalion of North Korean soldiers and Russian paratroopers in battles today and yesterday alone in the vicinity of the village of Makhnovka in Kursk Oblast," said Zelensky in his evening video message. The information cannot be verified independently.
According to official information, one battalion of the Russian armed forces has a troop strength of up to 500 men.
In recent weeks, videos have repeatedly surfaced showing attempts by Russian units - sometimes reinforced by North Korean soldiers - to storm the Kursk region. Many of the Russian armored vehicles destroyed and soldiers killed can be seen. Military experts explain the hasty-looking attack attempts with Moscow's aim of making up as much ground as possible before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump in order to have a good starting position in the expected negotiations.
Ukraine occupied part of the Russian region of Kursk last summer.
Two-year-old girl injured in Russian attack
In addition to successes, Selensky also reported on another heavy air attack on the Ukrainian border region of Sumy. Russian bombs had destroyed an apartment building there. Among the seven injured was a two-year-old girl, said Selenskyj. The clean-up operation in Chernihiv following a missile strike the previous day, in which 40 residential buildings were destroyed or damaged, had also been completed, he said.
In view of the ongoing attacks on civilian targets, he again asked Ukraine's partners to strengthen its air defenses. He announced that this would be discussed at the next meeting with Western allies, which is to take place next week at the US military base in Ramstein, Rhineland-Palatinate.
Ukraine remains on the defensive
The situation on the battlefield remains difficult for Ukraine. Russian troops continue to attack despite the losses. In its evening situation report, the General Staff in Kiev spoke of almost 150 battles during the day, 40 of which were in the Pokrovsk area alone. This is the focus of the fighting after the Ukrainians recently had to give up control of Kurakhove, according to reports from the military blog "DeepState".
According to Ukrainian media reports, the fighting for Pokrovsk itself, which is also considered a strategically important hub, could begin as early as next week after the Russian units have advanced to just outside the city limits.
Blinken: Supplied Ukraine with weapons before the war began
According to information from Washington, the fact that the Ukrainians are still holding their own on the battlefield almost three years after the start of the war is also thanks to the foresight of the US government. In view of fears of a Russian attack on Ukraine, the USA had already supplied the country with weapons shortly before the war began in February 2022. "Because we saw it coming, we were able to make sure not only that we and allies and partners were prepared, but that Ukraine was prepared," outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the New York Times.
"We made sure that well before Russian aggression occurred, starting in September and then again in December, that we quietly got a lot of weapons into Ukraine to make sure that they had what they needed to defend themselves."
Russian foreign office spokeswoman Maria Zakharova used Blinken's statements to justify the Russian war of aggression. She claimed that the war, which she called a "special military operation", was intended to demilitarize Ukraine, which had been armed by the USA and Great Britain for years.
Moscow threatens Kiev after allegedly repelling missile attack
According to its own statements, the Russian military has repelled a Ukrainian attack with long-range US missiles on the border region of Belgorod and is threatening a counter-attack. All ATACMS missiles were shot down by air defenses, the Ministry of Defense announced on its telegram channel. Moscow will respond to this attack accordingly. The Ministry's statements could not initially be independently verified.
The ATACMS missiles are considered to be long-range weapons. In the past, Russia has threatened to respond to such attacks on its territory by firing hypersonic missiles at targets in Ukraine.
