Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Russia is using North Korean troops in significant numbers to conduct assaults on Ukrainian forces in the country’s Kursk region. According to Zelenskyy, this marks a new escalation in the conflict and calls for a global response.
The North Koreans were being used in combined Russian units and primarily on the Kursk front, with their involvement potentially extending to other parts of the frontline. Ukrainian air defenses have destroyed 56 out of 108 drones launched by Russia during strikes overnight, while Russia’s air defense systems downed 15 Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine has also launched an incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region in August and is battling to hold the area. The country’s military reported a significant increase in Russian assaults on the Kursk front, along with airstrikes, glide bomb raids, and over 200 artillery attacks.
In related news, Ukraine’s drones carried out an overnight attack on an oil facility in Russia’s Oryol region, causing a fire but no casualties. Meanwhile, a former FBI informant accused of falsely claiming that Joe Biden and his son Hunter had accepted Ukrainian bribes has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges.
The situation remains fluid, with both sides exchanging blows and escalating tensions.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/15/ukraine-war-briefing-north-korean-troops-join-russian-assaults-in-significant-numbers-kyiv-says