Russia has begun using North Korean troops in “significant numbers” to attack Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Today, we already have preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults,” he said. “We have information suggesting their use could extend to other parts of the frontline.”
This comes as Russia’s air defence systems destroyed 15 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russian defence ministry said today.
Thirteen of the drones were downed over the Black Sea and one each over the Russian border regions of Kursk and Belgorod, the defence ministry said in a post on its Telegram messaging channel.
Earlier, a major Russian oil depot was set ablaze after Ukrainian troops launched a “massive drone attack” over 100 miles inside Russian territory.
The Stalnoy Kon oil refinery, part of Vladimir Putin’s “military industrial complex” that supplies Russian troops, was struck overnight, Kyiv’s chief of staff said.
The Russian governor of Oryol said on Telegram that fuel had caught fire at “a facility” in the region after the “massive drone attack”.
Ukraine destroys 56 Russian drones in overnight strike, air force says
Ukrainian air defences destroyed 56 out of 108 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight strike, Kyiv’s military said on Sunday.
It added that another 49 were “locationally lost”, typically a result of electronic jamming.
Debris from the destroyed drones damaged an unspecified piece of infrastructure as well as apartment buildings and homes, the air force said.
Ukraine replaces commander amid Russian push towards Pokrovsk
Ukraine has replaced the commander overseeing its eastern Donetsk forces following significant Russian advances near the strategically important city of Pokrovsk, a military official announced on Saturday.
General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy has been appointed to lead the operational and tactical group, succeeding General Oleksandr Lutsenko. The leadership change follows mounting criticism of General Lutsenko for failing to prevent recent Russian progress in the region.
Russian troops have been reported within 3km of Pokrovsk, according to the Ukrainian mapping service DeepState. The city, located approximately 17km from the border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, has been the scene of some of the most intense fighting on Ukraine’s eastern front in recent months.
Pokrovsk holds significant strategic value for Moscow. Its capture would mark a major setback for Ukraine, representing the most substantial territorial loss in months. The fall of the city would also escalate the challenges for Ukrainian forces, which are already struggling under immense pressure on the eastern front lines.
The heightened tensions come as Ukraine faces additional uncertainty over its future military aid from the US. Concerns have grown with the potential return of Donald Trump to the presidency, raising fears that Kyiv’s largest source of support could reduce or withdraw assistance entirely as the conflict nears its fourth year.
How can Putin be defeated? Assad’s fall provides lesson for West
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria has led to questions over Russia’s ability to sustain its military adventures abroad. Russia had supported Assad militarily for over a decade, building on longstanding ties between Moscow and Damascus.
But the rapid advance of anti-government forces this month saw Russia apparently powerless to influence the situation beyond a number of airstrikes (as always, apparently mostly delivered on civilian targets) in support of government forces.
That has inevitably led people to draw conclusions about Russia’s ability to project power overseas, and what it may mean for the course of the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine war would be ‘resolved’ in month, says Trump envoy
Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia said the ongoing war between the two countries will be “resolved in the next few months” as soon as the Republican takes office.
A retired US Army Lieutenant General, Keith Kellog told Fox Business: “The only person who can do this is President Donald Trump, and he will do it. They’re tired of killing each other out there. This is time.”
His remarks come as Russia prepares for Mr Trump to assume office.
“Russia is ready to study Trump’s proposals on Ukraine, but studying does not mean agreeing,” state news agency RIA Novosti posted to Telegram.
Last week, in a statement on Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote that “Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness”.
AP photos from Ukraine in 2024 convey wartime horror and hope
Ukraine condemns Fifa over map omitting Crimea
Ukraine has sharply criticised Fifa for excluding Crimea from its territory on a map displayed during the 2026 World Cup draw, calling the mistake “unacceptable” and demanding accountability.
The map was used to illustrate nations prohibited from being drawn together in the tournament due to geopolitical tensions. While Ukraine was highlighted on the map, Crimea—internationally recognised as part of its territory—was noticeably absent. Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014, but the annexation is recognised by only a few nations.
Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, condemned the omission, asserting that it violated international law. “Fifa has not only acted against international law but has also supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of aggression against Ukraine,” he wrote on X, sharing a corrected version of the map that included Crimea. Mr Tykhyi also demanded a public apology from the global football governing body.
Fifa has since responded, stating it was “aware of an issue” and had removed the map. However, the Ukrainian Football Association has escalated the matter by formally addressing Fifa secretary-general Mathias Grafström and Uefa secretary-general Theodore Theodoridis in a letter.
The letter voiced “deep concern” over the incident, pointing to the consistency of Fifa and Uefa’s past decisions that upheld Ukraine’s territorial integrity. It further stated: “The cartographic image of Ukraine displayed on December 13, 2024, is completely unacceptable and looks like an inconsistent position of Fifa and Uefa.”
The incident has intensified scrutiny over Fifa’s handling of politically sensitive issues, with Ukraine continuing to push for stronger measures to prevent such errors in the future.
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
Winged explosives weighing up to 1,500 kilograms – and nicknamed the ‘building destroyer’ – have had a devastating impact wherever they have been used, writes Tom Watling. Kyiv is battling them as best it can but needs Western allies to step up and provide more weapons, air defences and ammunition
Nine-year-old Russian boy dies in Ukrainian strike
Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia killed a 9-year-old boy and set fire to a major oil terminal, officials said yesterday.
The boy died when a drone struck his family’s home outside Belgorod, a Russian city near the border with Ukraine, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported yesterday morning on the Telegram messaging app. His mother and seven-month-old sister were hospitalised with injuries, Mr Gladkov said.
He posted photos of what he said was the aftermath of the attack, showing a low-rise house with gaping holes in its roof and front wall flanked by mounds of rubble.
Elsewhere in southern Russia, Ukrainian drones overnight hit a major oil terminal in the Oryol region, sparking a blaze, Ukraine’s General Staff reported. Photos published by the General Staff and on Russian Telegram news channels showed huge plumes of smoke engulfing the facility, backlit by an orange glow.
Oryol governor Andrey Klychkov confirmed that a Ukrainian drone strike set fire to a fuel depot. He said later the blaze had been contained and that there were no casualties.
North Korean troops join Russian assaults in significant numbers, Kyiv says
Russia has begun using North Korean troops in significant numbers for the first time to conduct assaults on Ukrainian forces battling to hold an enclave in Russia’s Kursk region, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said yesterday.
The Ukrainian leader said the more active use of the troops was a new escalation in the war and called for a global response, as Donald Trump’s return to the White House next month fuels speculation of a coming push for peace talks.
“Today, we already have preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults. A significant number of them,” Mr Zelensky told Ukrainians in his daily wartime address.
The North Koreans were being used in combined Russian units and only on the Kursk front for now, he said, adding: “We have information suggesting their use could extend to other parts of the front line.”
Kyiv first said North Korean forces turned up in Russia’s Kursk region in October and later reported unspecified clashes and casualties. It estimates there are 11,000 North Koreans in total, adding to a force of tens of thousands of Russians.
Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Koreans on its side.
Source: independent.co.uk