North Korean troops arrive in Russian region occupied by Ukraine

Thousands of North Korean troops appear to person arrived successful Kursk, nan occidental Russian state partially occupied by Ukraine, up of an expected counteroffensive by Moscow. 

Soldiers from an elite portion of nan Korean People’s Army dispatched to nan region person not started fighting alongside Russian troops, but officials predicted they would thief successful an anticipated run aimed astatine driving retired Ukrainian forces, who seized astir 400 quadrate miles of territory successful Kursk successful a surprise August incursion, officials told The New York Times.

The soldiers’ dispatch to Kursk, pinch nan first arriving Wednesday, came aft Ukraine and South Korea warned for weeks that North Korean forces were training alongside Russian soldiers, pinch Ukraine estimating arsenic galore arsenic 12,000 troops are involved. 

Video posted connected Telegram shows North Korean troops being stationed astatine a subject training tract successful nan colony of Sergeyevka successful nan Russian Far East region, The Times reported. 

“Here they are. The boys from North Korea,” a man’s sound is reportedly heard successful a clip shared by Astra, a Russian independent media organization, according to The Times.  

Another video showed men, referred to arsenic North Koreans, opinionated astir and smoking while wearing nan modular group of Russian fatigues, The Times reported. 

One elder Ukrainian charismatic told The Times arsenic galore arsenic 5,000 North Korean troops are expected to combine successful Kursk by Monday.

The charismatic said it was unclear whether further troops would beryllium sent retired to conflict successful Ukraine. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky connected Friday, citing intelligence sources, warned nan North Korean troops could beryllium deployed to nan battlefield successful Kursk arsenic soon arsenic Sunday and called Moscow’s usage of Pyongyang’s forces successful combat zones a “clear escalation by Russia.”

Ukraine has held connected to nan mostly of nan territory it seized during its forces’ daring August incursion, though Russia group its sights connected Kyiv’s positions location this period and managed to claw backmost immoderate 150 quadrate miles, The Times reported.

More concerning for Kyiv, however, is that nan territory’s business has grounded to execute its main extremity of diverting Russian forces from fighting successful Ukraine’s eastbound Donbas region, wherever Moscow has slow but steadily advanced.

Ukraine nevertheless has managed to leverage its usage of drones to inflict devastating symptom connected Russia and thief style nan people of nan astir three-year war, which immoderate spot arsenic a imaginable instrumentality to leverage a bid woody pinch Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

Despite restrictions by Western friends connected Kyiv utilizing weapons they person provided to deed heavy wrong Russian territory, Ukraine has managed to behaviour long-range strikes connected rocket retention accommodation and strategical substance reservoirs hundreds of miles wrong Russia pinch its own, domestically-produced drones and missiles, The Journal reported.

In different news: 

• The Group of Seven countries agreed to present $50 cardinal loan package to Ukraine arsenic early arsenic December, which will beryllium backed by net generated from stiff Russian assets.
• A Russian drone struck an flat building successful Kyiv Friday evening, sparking a occurrence that killed a 14-year-old woman and injured five, according to officials. Meanwhile, Russian rocket strikes connected nan Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro deed respective residential buildings and a hospital, sidesplitting astatine slightest 5 and injuring 21, authorities said. “Russian murderers person resumed their accustomed business,” Zelensky said in a societal media post Saturday. “This proves erstwhile again that aggression cannot beryllium stopped by words unsocial but only by decisive action successful defense of nan authorities and nan group against whom this warfare is waged.”

With Post wires.