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According to Ukrainian officials, North Korean troops stationed in Russia’s Kursk region are experiencing severe casualties and lack adequate protection from Russian forces. The U.S. has echoed these concerns, noting that Russian and North Korean military leaders view these soldiers as “expendable.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted in his recent video address that Russian forces are sending North Korean soldiers into combat with minimal support, leading them to take desperate actions to evade capture. “Their losses are significant, very significant,” he remarked, stating that captured North Korean soldiers have died from their wounds after being taken in by Ukrainian forces. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also noted that some troops from Pyongyang have chosen to take their own lives rather than face capture. He stated that a wave of North Korean soldiers is being dispatched into perilous battles driven by generals who consider them disposable, estimating over 1,000 casualties among them in the last week alone, a figure consistent with reports from South Korea.
The U.S. government has committed to providing additional military aid to Ukraine, which will include vital air defense systems. Kirby indicated that the specifics of the new U.S. security assistance package would be revealed “in the next couple of days,” although the final amount of support remains uncertain. This announcement follows a recent meeting in Washington between National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, where they discussed extensive support measures, including the anticipated delivery of significant quantities of artillery rounds, rockets, and armored vehicles by mid-January.
Slovakia has expressed its willingness to facilitate peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, even amid accusations from Kyiv that it is favoring Moscow’s stance. Russian President Vladimir Putin described Slovakia’s potential role as a “platform” for dialogue as “acceptable.” These developments have raised concerns in Ukraine about the possibility of a negotiated settlement that could disadvantage their position on the battlefield. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico affirmed on Facebook, “If anyone wishes to arrange peace talks in Slovakia, we will be prepared and welcoming.”
Ukraine has received its inaugural shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, a development that Kyiv reports will enhance both Ukrainian and European energy security as a significant gas transit agreement with Russia nears its conclusion. Despite the ongoing conflict, Russia has continued to transport gas to Europe through Ukraine under a multibillion-euro contract, which Kyiv has pledged not to renew at the year’s end. “Dtek, Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, announced on Friday that it has received its first LNG cargo from the United States,” amounting to approximately 100 million cubic meters of gas, according to a statement to Agence France-Presse.
In a significant ruling, a Russian court has sentenced a singer to five and a half years in prison for burning his passport in a protest against Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine. Eduard Sharlot, aged 26, was convicted of “publicly insulting” religious sentiments and “rehabilitating nazism” following the release of videos on social media, as reported by the state-run RIA Novosti. Sharlot had publicly incinerated his Russian passport in a video shared in June 2023 as an act of dissent against the war. Another video featured him attaching a photograph of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church which has openly supported the invasion, to a crucifix. After initially fleeing to Armenia following the invasion, Sharlot was apprehended in November 2023 at St. Petersburg’s airport while attempting to return to Russia.
Source
www.theguardian.com