Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that his military’s ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is currently tying down 50,000 Russian troops.
In his daily address, Zelensky stated that this operation is diminishing Moscow’s capacity to launch attacks within Ukraine. This has been a consistent objective of the offensive, despite some scepticism from Western allies.
In his speech, Zelensky mentioned that he had been briefed by his Commander-in-Chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyy, who had earlier inspected Ukrainian units stationed in Kursk.
“Our men are holding back… 50,000 of the occupier’s army personnel who, due to the Kursk operation, cannot be deployed to other Russian offensive directions on our territory,” Zelensky said.
General Syrskyy separately noted that without Ukraine’s presence in Kursk, “tens of thousands of enemies from the best Russian assault units would have been storming” a critical battleground since the conflict began a decade ago.
Intense fighting continues in Donetsk, with both sides accusing each other on Monday of damaging a dam near the Ukrainian-held town of Kurakhove. Russian forces have been gradually advancing in the region for months, targeting the key city of Pokrovsk, a major supply hub for Ukrainian forces.
Both Ukraine and the US claim that over 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia. Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops in Kursk.
In North Korea, it was announced that leader Kim Jong-un had signed a decree ratifying a mutual defence treaty with Russia, approved in June during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened their alliance since Moscow became largely isolated internationally following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The US has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of supplying Russia with vast amounts of military hardware, including ballistic missiles and launchers.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently suggested that North Korea is receiving military technology and other support from Moscow to evade international sanctions.
Meanwhile, amidst speculation over the impact of Donald Trump’s re-election victory last week, the Kremlin has denied media reports that he had a phone conversation with President Putin.
The call, first reported by the Washington Post on Sunday, allegedly took place on Thursday. Trump reportedly warned the Russian president against escalating the conflict in Ukraine and referenced America’s significant military presence in Europe.
Frances Ibiefo
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