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Russian military bloggers say new Kursk attack came ‘like a bolt from the blue’
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North Korean soldiers have been “brought in again” to fight at the frontline in the Kursk region after reports that foreign soldiers were withdrawn following their mounting losses, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In his nightly video address yesterday, Mr Zelensky said: “There have been new assaults in the Kursk operation areas … the Russian army and North Korean soldiers have been brought in again.
”He said a “significant number” of opposing forces have been eliminated, adding that “we’re talking hundreds of Russian and North Korean servicemen”.
It comes as Ukraine launched a new assault inside Russia’s Kursk oblast, expanding its incursion into Russian territory by as much as three miles.
Kyiv’s new incursion came on the six-month anniversary of its first attack inside Kursk, with one Russian military blogger describing it as coming “like a bolt from the blue”.
The incursion was also reported by the Russian defence ministry, which said Ukrainian troops and armoured vehicles had launched several waves of attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka.
Next week, Donald Trump is likely to meet Mr Zelensky to discuss Ukraine‘s war to repel Russian invaders.
Ukraine’s air force said today it shot down 67 of 139 Russian drones launched overnight, while another 71 disappeared from radar without reaching their targets.
Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive in the Russian border region of Kursk, pushing several miles through its southeastern flank, it has been reported.
The attack, which was claimed by the Russian defence ministry but has not been acknowledged by Ukraine, was reported exactly six months after Kyiv launched its initial cross-border assault into Kursk last August.
Ukraine’s attack into Kursk has left Vladimir Putin’s forces scrambling
David Lammy said did not see any hope of an imminent end to the Ukraine’s war with Russia despite Donald Trump’s pledge to end the war under his second administration.
Mr Lammy who was in Ukraine and met president Volodymyr Zelensky made remarks as peace talks are set to begin at a security conference in Munich next week.
“I am not sure we are weeks away from peace talks. And I say that because our assessment, which I’m quite sure the US shares, is that Putin shows absolutely no appetite for negotiation and to bring this war to an end,” he told the Guardian.
“We are still very much in the depths of winter. The truth is the young men and women that make up the Ukrainian force are fighting for their country’s future on the ground, and that will go on for a number of months …
“The Ukrainians are pretty clear there can be no ceasefire before negotiations. So I don’t anticipate a ceasefire in this war anytime soon. I’m very clear that Putin at the moment shows no desire to negotiate. And therefore, sadly, I think this war of attrition will go on for some months yet.”
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Kyiv is launching a new initiative to deploy robotic combat vehicles to the front lines, as the war with Russia intensifies the need for technological superiority.
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry announced the creation of specialised robotic units on Wednesday, releasing an image of a weaponised unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).
Drones, particularly aerial ones, have become indispensable in the conflict since Russia’s 2022 invasion. With both sides deploying vast numbers of drones monthly, the focus has shifted to replacing ground troops with UGVs, a move driven by dwindling Ukrainian manpower reserves, according to officials.
Defence minister Rustem Umerov stated, “The Ministry of Defence is launching a project that will scale up the use of unmanned ground systems in the military.”
It added that the project was based on trials conducted in co-operation with soldiers since the summer of 2024.
Read our full report.
The Ukrainian move has reportedly been driven by dwindling manpower reserves
Russian police have opened a criminal investigation into an alleged assault on a freelance journalist by a person believed to be an employee of the British embassy, the Russian interior ministry said on Friday.
It said the journalist, a 23-year-old woman, had complained to police that she had suffered “physical and moral injury” in the alleged incident at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport while trying to interview British diplomats arriving there.
“While the journalist was performing her professional duties, an unknown man, presumably an employee of the British Embassy in the Russian Federation, who was meeting the delegation, pushed her, causing the girl to lose her balance,” the ministry said.
It said the British embassy had ignored a police request to identify the alleged offender and provide information about his diplomatic status. Russian authorities would work to ensure that the person concerned was punished, irrespective of their status and nationality, the ministry added.
Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the incident was “nothing more than an interference operation designed to intimidate legitimate diplomats, degrade the UK’s international reputation, and distract from Russia’s flagrant and repeated disregard for international law.
“It matches a persistent pattern of shameful behaviour by the Kremlin against UK diplomats in Russia,” it said in a statement. “Intimidation will not deter our staff from promoting international stability and UK interests around the world.”
Ukraine believes that the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in relation to Russian war crimes will continue despite US president Donald Trump imposing sanctions on the organisation, Kyiv’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
Mr Trump authorised economic and travel sanctions targeting people involved in ICC investigations of US citizens or US allies, such as Israel.
The ICC is a permanent court that prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals.
“We are convinced that the ICC will continue to fulfil important functions in Ukraine’s case, in particular bringing Russian war criminals to responsibility,” foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said at a press briefing in Ukraine’s capital.
“We know that relations between the US and the ICC have a long history,” Mr Tykhyi added.
The Russians taking Pokrovsk would split Ukraine’s defensive line in the region and harm supplies in the eastern part of Donetsk. Now facing constant bombardment, soldiers and residents in Pokrovsk speak to Askold Krushelnycky about the drawn-out siege they are bracing themselves for
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