International
Ukraine’s Kursk Operation Now Holding 50,000 Russian Troops – Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that his military’s ongoing operation in Russia’s Kursk region is now holding down 50,000 Russian troops.
In his daily address, Zelensky stated that the incursion is significantly hindering Moscow’s ability to launch attacks within Ukraine, which has been a primary objective of the operation despite skepticism from some Western allies.
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The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based non-profit, reported that Russia had stationed 11,000 troops in Kursk when Ukraine began its surprise offensive in early August.
However, a report in the New York Times indicates that Russia has bolstered its troop presence in Kursk without having to withdraw forces from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The paper also suggests that North Korean troops are being deployed in the region as part of Russia’s anticipated counter-offensive.
During his speech, Zelensky mentioned that he had received an update from General Oleksandr Syrskyy, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, who had conducted an inspection of Ukrainian forces deployed in Kursk earlier on Monday.
“Our men are holding back… 50,000 of the occupier’s army personnel who, due to the Kursk operation, cannot be deployed to other Russian offensive directions on our territory,” the Ukrainian president said.
Gen. Syrskyy stated that without Ukraine’s forces in Kursk, “tens of thousands of enemy troops from Russia’s elite assault units would have been storming” Ukrainian positions in Donetsk, a critical battleground since the war began nearly a decade ago.
Fighting continues to intensify in Donetsk, with both sides accusing each other on Monday of damaging a dam near the Ukrainian-controlled town of Kurakhove. Russian forces have been making gradual progress in the region, moving closer to the strategic city of Pokrovsk, a key supply hub for Ukraine’s military.
According to The New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. and Ukrainian officials, approximately 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops are being mobilized for a counteroffensive in Kursk.
“A new US assessment concludes that Russia has massed the force without having to pull soldiers out of Ukraine’s east – its main battlefield priority – allowing Moscow to press on multiple fronts simultaneously,” the paper says.
Both Ukraine and the United States have confirmed that over 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia. Moscow, however, has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops in Kursk, a region that has seen increased military activity.
In North Korea, it was announced that leader Kim Jong-un had signed a decree ratifying a mutual defense treaty with Russia, which was initially approved during a summit in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.
As Russia faces international isolation following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, its ties with North Korea have deepened. The U.S. has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of supplying Russia with large quantities of military equipment, including ballistic missiles and launchers.
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently suggested that North Korea may be receiving military technology and other forms of support from Moscow to circumvent international sanctions.
In other developments, amid growing speculation about the impact of Donald Trump’s re-election victory last week, the Kremlin has denied reports of a phone call between the former president and Vladimir Putin. The call, first reported by the Washington Post, allegedly took place on Thursday, with Trump warning Putin against escalating the war in Ukraine and emphasizing the U.S. military’s significant presence in Europe.
Trump’s team has declined to comment on the details of the “private calls” of the president-elect.
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