In a video speech on the evening of January 4, President Zelensky cited a report from Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stating that battles took place near the village of Makhnovka, near the Ukrainian border.
“In the battles yesterday and today near the village of Makhnovka in Kursk province, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantrymen and Russian paratroopers,” Mr. Zelensky said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky spoke while attending the European Union summit in Brussels (Belgium) on December 19, 2024
President Zelensky did not provide detailed information about the above losses. A battalion can vary in size but usually has hundreds of soldiers.
Last week, Mr. Zelensky cited the heavy losses of North Korean soldiers in Kursk, saying their forces were not protected by Russian forces while fighting together. He asserted that North Korean soldiers took extreme measures to avoid being taken prisoner.
There is currently no information on the reaction of Russia and North Korea to President Zelensky’s above statement.
Reuters cited Ukrainian and Western assessments as saying that about 11,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed in Kursk province, where the Ukrainian army controlled some territories after conducting a massive border incursion in September. August 2024.
Also in a video speech on the evening of January 4, Mr. Zelensky said that “fierce battles” were taking place along the entire 1,000 km long front line, with the most difficult situation near the city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk province. Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Mr. Zelensky also said that Russian forces “continue to mobilize a large number of their personnel in attacks.”
A Ukrainian military spokesman earlier said Pokrovsk remained the “hottest” front-line area, with Russian forces launching new attacks near Pokrovsk in an attempt to bypass the city from the south and cut off communication lines. supply lines for Ukrainian soldiers, according to Reuters.
