Day: January 2, 2025

Russians continue to engage units of the army of North Korea in combat operations in the Kursk region. On New Year’s Eve, the North Korean soldiers got drunk, according to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, North Korea continues to suffer significant losses among its personnel. To replace the losses and strengthen their positions, Russian commanders are deploying new North Korean soldiers to the front line. On December 31 and January 1, North Korean soldiers were moved to positions near the settlements of:

• Fanaseevka;
• Ulanok;
• Cherkasskaya Konopelka.

At the same time, lower-level commanders lie in their reports to the higher command about real losses among North Korean soldiers.

“The morale of the North Korean soldiers has fallen. They are constantly being treated with Russian army propaganda about the great importance of the North Korean army’s participation in the war against Ukraine. On New Year’s Eve, cases of alcohol abuse were recorded among North Korean soldiers, including those involved in combat operations,” the intelligence adds.

Participation of North Korean troops in Russia’s war against Ukraine

According to South Korea, about 11,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia. Some of them were transferred to the Kursk region after training.

On December 16, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that North Korean soldiers had already begun to take part in battles in the Kursk region of Russia.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon does not see much effectiveness in the participation of North Korean troops in the battles and has reported significant losses.

Read our article to find out what the North Korean troops bring to Russia and whether there is any effect on the frontline.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President, stated that currently, there can be no negotiations with the Kremlin because Russia has not been forced to pay a sufficiently high price for the war.

Ukrainian officials currently reject any talks of pressure or assumptions that peace negotiations are inevitable, BBC said.

“No negotiation process can take place because Russia has not been made to pay a high enough price for this war,” he said.

Podolyak noted much is being said about negotiations, but this is an illusion.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations

In recent months, many statements have been regarding negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. However, most of these come from the Kremlin, even though the occupiers’ actions suggest otherwise.

At the end of November, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha emphasized that despite constant statements, Russia does not actually want peace in the war.

Additionally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently rejected “peace proposals” from the team of newly elected US President Donald Trump, even though no official US initiatives have been announced.

Moreover, Russia’s unwillingness for peace talks is evident in the continued shelling of Ukraine. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently noted, over the past week, the occupiers launched 120 missile strikes and 500 airstrikes on Ukraine. Additionally, Russia used nearly 660 drones in its attacks.

No urban battles take place in Pokrovsk, the Donetsk region. Russian troops are attempting to circumvent the city, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing the spokesperson of the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group of Troops, Viktor Trehubov.
 

“There are no urban battles in the city. The Russians have not reached the outskirts of the city. Still, they are trying to encircle it through neighboring settlements and villages, penetrating with various groups, accumulating (forces – ed.), and continuing to strike in such a way as to bypass the city. There is also active use of UAVs, and everything the Russians currently have is concentrated around Pokrovsk,” Trehubov said.

Regarding the potential semi-encirclement of Pokrovsk from the south, the spokesperson noted that the city is fortified, so the Russians are not risking direct frontal assaults. At the same time, the enemy is engaged in urban battles on other fronts, particularly in Chasiv Yar and Kurakhove.

According to Trehubov, the Russian army is trying to bypass Pokrovsk and disrupt the infrastructure chains of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

screenshot of deepstatemap.live

Frontline situation

Pokrovsk is a city in the Donetsk region that has recently become a frontline area. Russian forces attempt to break through Ukraine’s defense lines in the Pokrovsk direction. This section is one of the most challenging areas of the front.

The neighboring Kurakhove, Kramatorsk, and Vremivka directions remain active as well.

As the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group of Troops previously reported, Russia had deployed 150,000 soldiers on the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Vremivka fronts. In particular, around 70,000 Russian military are concentrated near Pokrovsk.