Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that 50,000 Russian troops are currently involved in his military's ongoing incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
Zelensky said in his daily address that the operation was reducing Moscow's ability to launch attacks inside Ukraine. Despite some skepticism from the Western allies, it has been a consistent objective of the offensive.
In his speech, Zelensky mentioned that he had been briefed by his commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrsky, who had previously inspected Ukrainian units stationed in Kursk.
“Our people are holding back 50,000 soldiers of the occupation army, who cannot be deployed in other Russian offensive directions on our territory because of the Kursk operation,” Zelensky said.
General Sirsky noted separately that without Ukraine's presence at Kursk, “thousands of the enemy's best Russian assault units would have been attacking a vital battlefield” since the conflict began a decade earlier.
Intense fighting continues in Donetsk, with both sides accusing the other on Monday of damaging a dam near the Ukrainian-held city of Kurakhov. Russian forces have been slowly advancing into the region for months, targeting the key city of Pokrovsk, a key supply hub for Ukrainian forces.
Both Ukraine and the US claim that more than 10,000 North Korean troops 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 has signed a decree ratifying a mutual defense treaty with Russia, which was approved during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in June. Was given.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened their alliance since Moscow became largely isolated internationally following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 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 was receiving military technology and other aid from Moscow to avoid international sanctions.
Meanwhile, amid ongoing 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, which was first reported by the Washington Post on Sunday, reportedly 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.
Francis Ibifo
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