Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says North Korea suffers losses as ‘last resort counteroffensive’ begins
Ukrainian and Western sources estimate about 11,000 North Korean troops are stationed in Kursk
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Your support makes all the difference.Russian and North Korean forces suffered heavy losses in Russia’s southern Kursk region, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said, as a Kyiv’s forces begin a counter attack.
“In battles yesterday and today near just one village, Makhnovka, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address yesterday, calling the losses “significant.”
Ukrainian and Western sources estimate about 11,000 North Korean troops are stationed in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces gained territory after a cross-border incursion in August.
Russian troops repelled two Ukrainian counter-attacks in Kursk on Sunday, the Russian defence ministry said according to state media.
A Russian military blogger has described Ukraine’s movements in Russia’s Kursk region as part of a “last resort counteroffensive”, according to the Telegraph.
The direction of the main counteroffensive is not yet clear and movements in Kursk may be a “diversionary” attack, the Rybar Telegram channel, another Russian military blog, said.
Ukrainian forces are possibly planning wider a counteroffensive on other areas of the frontline, such as in the Donetsk region, where Russia has steadily advanced for months.
The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation confirmed the Kursk attacks.
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ICYMI: Three killed in cross-border attacks between Ukraine and Russia
Attacks across the Ukraine-Russia border left three people dead on Friday, according to local officials.
In northern Ukraine, three missiles struck a residential area near Chernihiv, killing one person, injuring five, and destroying two homes.
Regional governor Viacheslav Chaus shared images showing the shattered façade of a private home.
In the Kyiv region, five people were injured in a drone attack, while four more were hurt in shelling near Sloviansk in the Donetsk region.
On the Russian side, officials reported two fatalities. Roman Starovoyt, governor of the Kursk region, said on Telegram that a man walking along a road was killed in a drone strike.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian military said it carried out a precision strike on a Russian command post in the Kursk region.
In the Bryansk region, another Russian border area, a mortar attack killed one civilian, the regional governor said.
Russian military and local officials said that approximately 10 Ukrainian drones had been shot down on Friday, including six over the Bryansk region.
Ukrainian engineers restore power to more than 7,000 customers
Ukrainian power engineers restored the power supply to 7,022 customers on Friday and Saturday.
It comes as Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s power grid as it looks to increase pressure on Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said, according to Ukrainska Pravda: "We encourage all consumers to use electricity responsibly throughout the day. Efficient consumption helps reduce strain on the power grid.”
Watch: Footage of Ukrainian air defences shooting down Russian drones
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has shared footage showing air defence against “over 300 attack drones and around 20 missiles” fired by Russia in the first three days of the new year.
“In just the first three days of the new year, the Russian army has launched over 300 attack drones and around 20 missiles, including ballistic ones, against Ukrainian cities and villages,” he said.
“A large amount was shot down or neutralized by our forces using electronic warfare means.
“However, unfortunately, there have been hits, resulting in casualties and injuries. My condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.”
Russia shoots down eight US-made ATACMS missiles, defence ministry says
Russian forces shot down eight US-made longer-range ATACMS missiles, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
Air defences also shot down 10 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory on Saturday morning, including three over the northern Leningrad region, the ministry added.
The reports have not been independently verified.
Blinken heads to Asia, Europe on last expected trip as top US diplomat
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will embark on what is expected to be his final overseas trip in office this weekend, traveling to South Korea, Japan and France.
The State Department announced Friday that Blinken would visit Seoul, Tokyo and Paris beginning Sunday. He will return to Washington early Thursday in time to attend funeral services for former President Jimmy Carter, officials said.
In South Korea, which is in the midst of political turmoil following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japan, Blinken intends to highlight the expansion of U.S. cooperation with both nations as part of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
That strategy is primarily intended to blunt Chinese ambitions in the region but also to deter the nuclear threat from North Korea. Political developments in South Korea, however, after Yoon declared martial law and was later impeached, have raised questions about the stability of Washington-Seoul relations.
Read the full report:
Blinken heads to Asia, Europe on last expected trip as top US diplomat
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will embark on what is expected to be his final overseas trip in office this weekend, traveling to South Korea, Japan and France
2024 was a year of triumphs and setbacks for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Here's how it unfolded
In 2024, President Vladimir Putin further cemented his grip on power and sought to counter Russia’s isolation from the West over the war in Ukraine. But he faced continuing challenges, with a deadly attack by gunmen in Moscow and an incursion by Kyiv‘s troops on his territory.
As Russia’s nearly 3-year-old war in Ukraine enters a new, potentially pivotal phase amid a new U.S. administration and its uncertain support for Kyiv, here’s a look back at how the year unfolded for Putin:
2024 was a year of triumphs and setbacks for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Here's how it unfolded
The year 2024 saw President Vladimir Putin further cement his power as he sought to counter Russia's isolation over the war in Ukraine
More than 86,000 oil-contaminated sand cleared after Black Sea oil spill
Russian rescue workers have cleared more than 86,000 metric tons of contaminated sand and earth after an oil spill in the Black Sea last month, emergency ministries said.
Oil leaked from two ageing tankers after they were hit by a storm in mid-December. One of the tankers sank while another ran aground.
More than 10,000 people have been shovelling viscous fuel oil from sandy beaches around Anapa, a popular summer resort, where environmental groups have reported deaths of sealife including dolphins and porpoises.
Around 2,400 metric tons of oil products spilled into the sea, a smaller spill than was initially feared, Russia’s transport ministry said this week.
Russian forces take control of eastern village
Russian forces have taken control of the village of Nadiya in eastern Ukraine, Russian news agencies cite Moscow’s defence ministry as saying.
The battlefield report has not been independently verified.
Russian forces attacking near Pokrovsk, Ukrainian military says
Russian forces launched attacks near the city of Pokrovsk, a key strategic road and rail hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said on Saturday.
Capture of Pokrovsk could create serious problems for the Ukrainian army on the eastern front, and may allow Russia to advance its frontline to the west.
"The Pokrovsk direction remains the hottest and there the Russians attacked 34 times (in the past 24 hours) and tried to break through our defences south of Pokrovsk," a spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces told national television.
Russian forces seek to cut off supply routes to Ukraine’s troops, the military added. They send small groups of soldiers to settlements south of Pokrovsk to block supplies.
“They (Russians) don’t go directly into the city because it means heavy urban fighting. So they first try to bypass the city and interrupt the logistics chains,” Trehubov said.
Zelensky says Trump can be decisive in helping stop Putin
President-elect Donald Trump could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month-old war with Russia and help stop Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky, facing advances by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, said in an interview with Ukrainian television that Mr Trump had told him he would be one of the first to visit Washington after the presidential inauguration this month.
The Ukrainian president also said a priority was to stabilise the frontline early in the new year. Mr Putin, he said, feared negotiations as they would be tantamount to a defeat for Russia.
“He’s very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump’s unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war,” he said. “Trump can be decisive. For us, this is the most important thing,” he said in a televised interview.
“His qualities are indeed there,” Mr Zelensky said of Mr Trump. “He can be decisive in this war. He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin. He is able to do this.”
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