Zelenskyy says Ukraine up against 50,000-strong force in Russia’s Kursk

Russia is trying to push Ukrainian forces from its occidental Kursk region pinch tens of thousands of soldiers, Ukraine’s president says, aiming to retake territory it has mislaid since August while its violative successful eastbound Ukraine grinds on.

In a station connected Telegram connected Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian soldiers were fighting against astir “50,000 force troops” successful Kursk.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine would “considerably strengthen” its positions connected nan Pokrovsk and Kurakhove fronts successful nan east, wherever nan astir progressive fighting is occurring.

In August, Ukraine launched a astonishment incursion into Kursk, seizing settlements successful its first cognition successful Russian territory since Moscow launched its penetration successful February 2022.

Russia, however, has continued its slow but dependable beforehand crossed overmuch of eastbound Ukraine, which it is capturing colony by colony successful a bid to prehend nan full industrialised Donbas region.

Zelenskyy’s comments travel a time aft The New York Times reported that Moscow had assembled a unit of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean soldiers, successful nan Russian region bordering Ukraine.

Western countries, South Korea and Ukraine person each said North Korea has sent soldiers to Russia.

Russia has neither confirmed nor denied nan beingness of North Korean soldiers connected its territory.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into rule a pact connected Moscow’s strategical business pinch Pyongyang, including a communal defence provision.

Rescuers and municipal labor activity astatine nan tract of an flat building deed by a Russian rocket onslaught successful Kryvyi Rih successful cardinal Ukraine [Danylo Antoniuk/Reuters)

Meanwhile, connected Monday, Russian attacks damaged a reservoir adjacent nan beforehand statement successful nan eastbound Donetsk region of Ukraine, its politician said, informing that adjacent villages could beryllium threatened by rising h2o levels.

Moscow’s service is quickly advancing successful nan Donetsk region and are closing successful connected nan municipality of Kurakhove, which lies adjacent to nan reservoir and had a pre-war organization of astir 18,000 people.

“The Russians damaged nan reservoir of nan reservoir of Kurakhove. This onslaught perchance threatens residents of settlements connected nan Vovcha River, some successful Donetsk and Dnipro regions,” Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

Also connected Monday, a Russian rocket deed a residential building successful Kryvyi Rih successful cardinal Ukraine, injuring astatine slightest 7 people.

The Dnipropetrovsk region’s governor, Serhiy Lysak, said connected Telegram that a 10-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy were among nan injured.

A Ukrainian subject spokesperson besides told nan Reuters news agency connected Monday that Russian infantry groups could motorboat crushed assaults connected nan neighbouring Zaporizhia region successful a matter of days.

The spokesperson said nan attacks could put much unit connected Kyiv’s forces, which are already overstretched.

“[The assaults] could statesman successful nan adjacent future. We’re not moreover talking astir weeks. We’re expecting it to hap immoderate day,” Vladyslav Voloshyn told Reuters.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied Putin had spoken to US President-elect Donald Trump connected nan Ukraine warfare contempt reports that nan leaders had spoken.

“This is nan astir evident illustration of nan value of nan accusation that is being published now, sometimes moreover successful reasonably reputable publications,” Peskov said, adding that location were “no actual plans yet” for Putin to interaction Trump.

During his run to triumph nan White House, Trump said he could extremity nan warfare wrong 24 hours if elected without elaborating.

Separately, nan Kremlin said it sensed that European powers were tense astir Trump’s presidency and it was excessively early to speak to European leaders astir ending nan conflict arsenic they proceed to proviso Kyiv pinch weapons.

“No mentation is being carried retired now [to speak to European leaders]. We person not received immoderate signals,” Peskov said.

“European leaders are continuing … to effort to execute a strategical conclusion of Russia,” he added.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies