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'
North Korean troops deployed in Russia’s Kursk Oblast continue to suffer significant losses, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Dec. 26.
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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,
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.
North Korea appears to be preparing to supply more arms to Russia on top of some 20,000 containers it had already sent, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 23 based on its analysis of satellite images.
North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops and weapons, including kamikaze drones, to aid Russia in its full-scale war against Ukraine, the South Korean military said on Dec. 23.
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
At least 100 North Korean troops have been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker said after an intelligence briefing, the BBC reported on Dec. 19.
Jonah Leff said that the researchers from his group examined remnants of four North Korean missiles recovered in Ukraine in July and August. One of them had marks showing it was procured in 2024, according to the researcher.
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
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.
Key developments on Dec. 17: * Ukraine's SBU assassinates Russian general charged with chemical weapons crimes, source claims * Ukraine's Special Forces claim to kill 50 North Korean soldiers in 3 days * Russia heavily attacking in Kursk Oblast for 3rd day, 'actively' using North Korean troops, Syrskyi says * Zelensky rejects Orban's mediation,
"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.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces killed 50 North Korean soldiers and injured 47 others in three days of fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast, the unit said on Dec. 17.
South Korea imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and 15 entities "engaged in illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Dec. 17.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller warned that if North Korean troops crossed the border into Ukraine to fight for Russia, that would mark a serious "escalation" in the war.
"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.
The EU imposed fully fledged sanctions on Dec. 16, including asset freezes and visa bans, on Chinese firms for supplying Russia's military for the war against Ukraine.
North Korean troops have joined combat operations in the Kursk Oblast, marking the first confirmed engagement of North Korean soldiers alongside Russian military, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder said on Dec. 16.
North Korean losses have to be replenished by fresh soldiers from North Korea's 94th Separate Brigade, HUR claimed.
"We have seen hundreds of (North Korean soldiers) on the battlefield already, and (Ukraine is) successfully fighting them as we are fighting with the Russians," Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova told CBS News. "We see them now in Kursk Oblast only, and our brave defenders were not only able to kill a lot of them, but also keep the positions."
Key developments on Dec. 14-15: * North Korean troops joining Russian assaults in Kursk, Zelensky says * Ukraine destroys Russian train with 40 fuel tanks in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, source claims * 292 front-line clashes recorded over the past day, General Staff reports * Two Russian oil tankers reportedly sink in Kerch Strait * North Korean
North Korean soldiers allegedly killed eight members of the Chechen Akhmat unit in a "friendly fire" incident, HUR said, attributing the attack to persistent language barrier problems.
North Korean units have sustained "noticeable losses" alongside Russian troops in Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 14.
Russia may have transferred MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets to North Korea in exchange for North Korean soldiers, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said on Dec. 8, according to Aviation Week Network.
Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Dec. 9 to Dec. 15. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. Romania's newly elected Parliament to set
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The world faces the dawn of a "third nuclear age," the head of the U.K.'s armed forces Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said on Dec. 4.
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