Key developments on Nov. 26: * Russia launches record 188 drones against Ukraine overnight, Air Force says * Russian Defense Ministry admits that Ukraine hit airbase in Kursk Oblast with ATACMS * Russia's advance in Ukraine fastest since early 2022, analysts claim * Russian soldiers suspected of executing 5 Ukrainian POWs near Pokrovsk * UK
The Russian Defense Ministry's statement is the first public confirmation of the attacks by Moscow, following multiple reports of strikes after Washington permitted Ukraine to use its ATACMS missiles to strike against targets on Russian soil.
The Russian Investigative Committee charged James Scott Rhys Anderson with "terrorism" and "mercenarism," following its long-standing practice of persecuting foreign volunteers that end up in Russian captivity.
"Right now, they (Ukrainian soldiers) have the ability to use ATACMS to defend themselves in an immediate-need basis. Understandably, that's taken place in and around Kursk Oblast," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told journalists on Nov. 25.
A video of a man in military fatigues, who identifies himself as former British army soldier James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, began circulating on Russian Telegram channels on Nov. 24.
Ukraine has lost over 40 per cent of the territory it previously gained in Russia's Kursk Oblast due to Russian counterattacks, Reuters reported on Nov. 23, citing a source in Ukraine's General Staff.
Key developments on Nov. 22: * Russia likely used ballistic missile from 'Kedr' complex to strike Dnipro, intelligence says * Russia plans to launch mass production of Oreshnik missile, Putin says * North Korea received anti-aircraft missiles, oil from Russia in exchange for troops, reports say * Russia has deployed nearly 60,000 troops
Nearly 60,000 Russian army personnel are currently stationed in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Suspilne reported on Nov. 22, citing its undisclosed source in the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
The number includes soldiers serving in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), said.
Key developments on Nov. 21: * Russia used new 'Oreshnik' intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine, Putin says * Ukrainian UAVs reportedly strike Russian border regions, industrial facility hit * Hungary deploys air defenses near Ukraine, cites war escalation after US allows strikes in Russia * Russian troops suspected of executing Ukrainian POWs in Kursk
Russian forces are suspected of summarily executing Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported on Nov. 20.
According to the source, the strikes were approved as a response to the presence of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, a sign of escalation by Russia.
Kim Yong Bok, officially the Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff, is expected to oversee the integration of North Korean troops into Russian forces, gain combat experience, and establish a framework for future deployments, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The Kyiv Independent sat down with retired U.S. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges to discuss the reports that U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles for strikes inside Russia.
North Korea has provided Russia with 50 domestically produced self-propelled howitzers and 20 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), the Financial Times (FT) reported on Nov. 16, citing a Ukrainian intelligence assessment.
Key developments on Nov. 15: * Scholz condemns war, urges Russia to negotiate with Ukraine in first call with Putin in nearly 2 years * Drone attack reported in Russia's Krasnodar region, explosions heard near military airfield * Russian troops plant flag at border in Chernihiv Oblast, Border Guard says no major offensive
Donald Trump's entrance into the White House on Jan. 20 promises to offer a seismic shift in the U.S.'s approach to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a potential "freezing" of the war. Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the war within "24 hours," sparking fears he might
The update applies primarily to those currently involved in combat in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
"Today I can confirm that over 10,000 (North Korean) soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces," spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
Over the past week, Russia had been gathering forces in what appears to be preparations for a decisive push in the country's Kursk Oblast. "The situation is changing every day. Not long ago, we were on the offensive, and now we are on the defensive," a 35-year-old artilleryman with the
The figure surpasses the previous record of 1,770 set just the day before.
Reports of murders, torture, and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war are received regularly by Ukrainian authorities and have spiked in recent months. Most cases were recorded in embattled Donetsk Oblast.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement came a day after The New York Times reported that Moscow is preparing to launch an offensive in Kursk Oblast with a force of 50,000 soldiers, both Russian and North Korean.
Russia has amassed the 50,000 troops without pulling its soldiers out of the eastern front, according to a new U.S. assessment.
Kursk Oblast has seen heavy battles since Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive in early August.
The clashes were small-scale, according to Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
"We see an increase in the number of North Koreans, and we do not see an increase in the reaction of our partners," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.
Andrii Kovalenko did not provide any more details on the circumstances of the engagement or possible losses on the North Korean side.
North Korean soldiers are usually trained to fight in mountainous terrain, which means they are not familiar with Ukrainian territory, its climate, and geography, Estonia's intelligence said.
There have been no clashes between the North Korean and Ukrainian military so far, Antony Blinken said, adding that they can happen "in the coming days."
Russia has confirmed to the West that North Korea is taking an active part in the war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the South Korean KBS TV channel published on Oct. 31.
"Russia thinks they are very strong, but if we wanted to seize their nuclear power plant, we would have done it, we could have done it, but we never wanted to do it," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
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