{"id":118879,"date":"2024-12-15T06:42:15","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T06:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-north-korean-troops-join-russian-assault-in-significant-numbers-zelensky-says-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2024-12-15T06:42:15","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T06:42:15","slug":"ukraine-russia-war-latest-north-korean-troops-join-russian-assault-in-significant-numbers-zelensky-says-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-russia-war-latest-north-korean-troops-join-russian-assault-in-significant-numbers-zelensky-says-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine-Russia war latest: North Korean troops join Russian assault in \u2018significant\u2019 numbers, Zelensky says – The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Zelensky warns Russia\u2019s use of North Korean forces in Kursk will extend to other parts of the war zone
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Russia<\/a> has begun using North Korean troops in \u201csignificant numbers\u201d to attack Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, president Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> said.
\u201cToday, we already have preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have information suggesting their use could extend to other parts of the frontline.\u201d
This comes as Russia\u2019s 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 \u201cmassive drone attack\u201d over 100 miles inside Russian territory.
The Stalnoy Kon oil refinery, part of Vladimir Putin<\/a>\u2019s \u201cmilitary industrial complex\u201d that supplies Russian troops, was struck overnight, Kyiv<\/a>\u2019s chief of staff said.
The Russian governor of Oryol said on Telegram that fuel had caught fire at \u201ca facility\u201d in the region after the \u201cmassive drone attack\u201d.
Donald Trump\u2019s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia said the ongoing war between the two countries will be \u201cresolved in the next few months\u201d as soon as the Republican takes office.
A retired US Army Lieutenant General, Keith Kellog told Fox Business: \u201cThe only person who can do this is President Donald Trump, and he will do it. They\u2019re tired of killing each other out there. This is time.\u201d
His remarks come as Russia prepares for Mr Trump to assume office.
\u201cRussia is ready to study Trump\u2019s proposals on Ukraine, but studying does not mean agreeing,\u201d state news agency RIA Novosti posted to Telegram.
Last week, in a statement on Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote that \u201cZelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness\u201d.
A man falls to his death from the window of a burning apartment after a Russian air strike
Ukraine has sharply criticised Fifa for excluding Crimea from its territory on a map displayed during the 2026 World Cup draw, calling the mistake \u201cunacceptable\u201d 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\u2014internationally recognised as part of its territory\u2014was 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\u2019s foreign ministry, condemned the omission, asserting that it violated international law. \u201cFifa has not only acted against international law but has also supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of aggression against Ukraine,\u201d 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 \u201caware of an issue\u201d and had removed the map. However, the Ukrainian Football Association has escalated the matter by formally addressing Fifa secretary-general Mathias Grafstr\u00f6m and Uefa secretary-general Theodore Theodoridis in a letter.
The letter voiced \u201cdeep concern\u201d over the incident, pointing to the consistency of Fifa and Uefa\u2019s past decisions that upheld Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity. It further stated: \u201cThe cartographic image of Ukraine displayed on December 13, 2024, is completely unacceptable and looks like an inconsistent position of Fifa and Uefa.\u201d
The incident has intensified scrutiny over Fifa\u2019s handling of politically sensitive issues, with Ukraine continuing to push for stronger measures to prevent such errors in the future.
Winged explosives weighing up to 1,500 kilograms \u2013 and nicknamed the \u2018building destroyer\u2019 \u2013 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
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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.
Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi says the fight to hold the eastern region of Dontesk has become \u2018extremely tough\u2019
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\u2019s 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\u2019s return to the White House next month fuels speculation of a coming push for peace talks.
\u201cToday, we already have preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults. A significant number of them,\u201d 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: \u201cWe have information suggesting their use could extend to other parts of the front line.\u201d
Kyiv first said North Korean forces turned up in Russia\u2019s 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.
Britain can hardly afford to spend more on defending itself from Vladimir Putin but, says Sean O\u2019Grady, it may have little practical choice
Ukrainian drones attacked an infrastructure facility storing fuel in central Russia\u2019s Oryol region, sparking a fire and smashing windows in homes, regional governor Andrei Klychkov said early on Saturday.
Mr Klychkov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said a \u201cmass attack\u201d on an infrastructure site caused fuel to catch fire. Fragments from downed drones smashed windows in homes, he said.
Video posted on Ukrainian military blogs showed a fire blazing at what was described as a fuel storage facility. Reuters could not independently verify reports from either side.
US treasury secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters on Friday that the US is looking at further sanctions on \u201cdark fleet\u201d tankers and will not rule out sanctions on Chinese banks as it seeks to reduce Russia\u2019s oil revenue and access to foreign supplies to fuel its war in Ukraine.
Ms Yellen said in an interview that the US and its allies also could consider lowering their $60-per-barrel oil price cap on Russian oil, which prohibits Western insurance and maritime services on cargoes above that level.
The treasury has already sanctioned individual tankers and their owners for operating above the price cap and can do more in this area, Ms Yellen added, suggesting additional measures in the five weeks before she leaves office.
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