Key developments on Jan. 4 - 5: * Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast, mixed reports surface on outcome * Russia launches over 300 drones, 20 missiles at Ukraine in first 3 days of new year, Zelensky says * Russian soldiers near Toretsk disguise as civilians to bypass Ukrainian positions, military
Ukrainian troops attacked Russian forces in several directions in Kursk Oblast, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s counter-disinformation center, claimed on Jan. 5. Reports by Russian pro-war Telegram channels have echoed the statement, saying that a new Kyiv offensive is underway.
"In battles yesterday and today near a single village, Makhnovka, in Kursk region, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Jan. 4.
"I never thought it would have such a big impact on them because they were so influenced by the idea of 'invincible Russia,'" President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview on Ukrainian television released on Jan. 2.
Key developments on Jan. 2: * Ukraine strikes Russian command post in Kursk Oblast, General Staff claims * Ukraine downed 2 Russian helicopters in sea drone attack, HUR says * Kyiv to conduct review of Ground Forces command, defense minister announces * Russian attacks against Ukraine injure at least 6, kill 4 over past
The strike targeted the 810th Russian Brigade, resulting in significant losses, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s counter-disinformation center.
Key developments on Jan. 1: * Russian drone attack kills 2, injures 6, damages central bank building in Kyiv * Russia has lost over 38,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says * Ukraine has brought back 1,358 people from Russian captivity in 2024 * Zelensky says Trump 'willing, capable of achieving peace
The Russian army has lost over 38,000 troops and more than 1,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 1.
Ukraine's Air Force on Dec. 29 denied claims spread by Russian media about a Ukrainian pilot surrendering to Russian forces in Kursk Oblast.
"It is clear that Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as expendable and ordering them on hopeless assaults against Ukrainian defenses," National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said on Dec. 27.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged China to use its influence over North Korea to prevent the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the frontline, during his evening address on Dec. 27.
U.S. officials told Bloomberg on Dec. 27 that they believe Ukraine may only have a few months left in its incursion into Kursk Oblast until Ukraine's military is forced to retreat from the region or risk being encircled by Russian forces.
The year 2024 was brutal for Ukraine. Last winter saw the fall of Avdiivka when, after several months of brutal fighting, the Russian army captured the city leveled to the ground. Ukraine struggled to hold the front line with limited resources as political infighting in the U.S. Congress had
The confirmation followed a report from Ukraine's military-focused news outlet Militarnyi on Dec. 26, which first revealed the capture without specifying the date of the incident.
Key developments on Dec. 26: * Ukraine hits ballistic missile propellant plant in Rostov Oblast, Stratcom reports * North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast endure heavy losses, logistical struggles, Ukrainian military intelligence says * 18 Russian soldiers allegedly killed in Ukraine's Dec. 25 attack in Kursk Oblast, military says * 'Increase in enemy activity'
Ukrainian troops reportedly hit the command post of Russia's 810th Separate Marine Brigade in the town of Lgov in Kursk Oblast overnight on Dec. 25.
North Korean troops deployed in Russia’s Kursk Oblast continue to suffer significant losses, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Dec. 26.
Key developments on Dec. 25: * Russian air defense missile may have downed Azerbaijani plane, media say * Russia terrorizes Ukraine with mass missile, drone attack against energy grid on Christmas morning * Ukrainian drones destroy Russian ammunition depot in Rostov Oblast, SBU source claims * Ukraine approves homemade Shchedryk aerial vehicle for military
"This fire strike is part of a comprehensive campaign to weaken the ability of the Russian Armed Forces to coordinate military operations against the people of Ukraine," Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications said.
Key developments on Dec. 23: * Over 3,000 North Korean troops killed, wounded in Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says * Satellite imagery suggests North Korea to supply more arms to Russia, WSJ reports * 'Mysterious' fire engulfs Russian Shahed warehouse, Ukrainian intelligence claims * First Ukrainian Legion unit trained in Poland deployed to Ukraine,
The entire year 2024 saw Ukrainian troops on the back foot, losing territory to the advancing Russian troops in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast and eastern Donetsk Oblast. Russia captured Avdiivka — an industrial city in Donetsk Oblast — in February, kickstarting Moscow's offensives all across the region. Taking advantage of a poorly conducted
While some Western officials initially viewed the arrival of North Korean soldiers in Russia as evidence of the Kremlin’s desperation, U.S. agencies now reportedly believe the idea was North Korea’s initiative, quickly embraced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This estimation, coming from Ukraine's intelligence, is a significant increase from other recent reports about the North Korean casualties.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces reported on Dec. 19 that they had killed 12 North Korean soldiers and injured 20 others, preventing their advance in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
North Korean troops fighting in Kursk Oblast are especially vulnerable to drones but still managed to help Moscow advance a few kilometers in the partially Ukrainian-occupied region in southwest Russia, according to Western military experts analyzing open-source data. The assessment of drone vulnerability differs from an on-the-ground testimony obtained by
Key developments on Dec. 18: * 'Couple hundred' North Korean troops lost fighting for Russia against Ukraine, AP reports * Sweden 'does not exclude' more direct physical presence in Ukraine to bolster defense * Russia detains two suspects over assassination of General Igor Kirillov, Kremlin media reports * Peace talks with Russia only possible
“It was at the start of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ military operation in Kursk Oblast. I believe the Kursk operation provided strong arguments in favor of Ukraine,” Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said.
In the call, a nurse at a Moscow hospital tells her husband, a soldier fighting in Kursk Oblast, that wounded fighters are being brought in by the trainload.
A senior U.S. military official did not give an exact figure but said the high casualty rate was in part due to the soldiers' lack of battle experience.
"For the third day, Russian forces have been conducting intensive offensive operations in Kursk Oblast, actively using North Korean units," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
"Russia is not only involving North Korean soldiers in assaults on Ukrainian positions, but is also trying to hide the losses of these people," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 16.
North Korean losses have to be replenished by fresh soldiers from North Korea's 94th Separate Brigade, HUR claimed.
(Updated: )
