Speaking during his nightly address on Saturday, Zelenskyy claimed “up to a battalion” of Russian paratroopers and North Korean soldiers were killed over a period of two days near a village in the Kursk region.
Russian and North Korean forces “lost up to a battalion of infantry” in two days during battles near the village of Makhnovka in the Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
Speaking in his nightly address on Saturday, Zelenskyy claimed the soldiers killed included Russian paratroopers and soldiers from Pyongyang, which Moscow deployed in the conflict towards the end of last year. A battalion is typically made up of up to 1,000 soldiers.
“The commander-in-chief also reported on the situation in the Kursk region. Specifically, in battles today and yesterday near just one village – Makhnovka in the Kursk region – the Russian army lost up to a battalion of infantry, including North Korean soldiers and Russian paratroopers. And that’s tangible,” Zelenskyy said.
Kyiv’s forces launched the unprecedented Kursk invasion in early August and achieved initial success by capturing over 1,000 square kilometres of Russian territory, the first time Russia had been invaded since World War II.
In the months after the shock offensive, Russia rallied its forces to stage a counter-assault. Since being caught unaware by the Ukrainian incursion, Russia has amassed more than 50,000 troops in the region, including some from its ally North Korea.
Precise numbers are hard to obtain, but Moscow’s counterattack has killed and wounded thousands, while the overstretched Ukrainians have lost more than 40% of the Kursk territory they had seized in August, according to military sources.
Russia currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine and capitalised last year on weaknesses in Ukraine’s defences to slowly advance in eastern areas despite high losses of troops and equipment.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has announced plans for meetings with international allies this week at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany.
During his address on Saturday, Zelenskyy said the talks would focus on moves to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.
“Dozens of partner countries will participate, including those capable of boosting our defence not only against missiles but also against guided bombs and Russian aircraft,” he said.
