Zelensky States 50,000 Russian Troops Occupied in Kursk Operation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that his military’s ongoing operation in Russia’s Kursk region is currently tying up 50,000 Russian soldiers. In his daily address to the nation, Zelensky asserted that this action was diminishing Moscow’s capacity to launch attacks within Ukraine itself. The president has consistently identified this as the primary objective of the offensive, despite reservations expressed by some Western allies. According to the Institute for the Study of War, a US non-profit organization, Russia had approximately 11,000 troops stationed in Kursk when Ukraine initiated its surprise incursion in early August. However, a report published in the New York Times indicates that Moscow has managed to increase its troop presence in Kursk without needing to withdraw any soldiers from Ukraine. The publication further notes that North Korean forces are also being deployed to Kursk as part of an anticipated Russian counter-offensive. During his speech, Zelensky mentioned he had received a briefing from his Commander-in-Chief, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyy, who had announced earlier on Monday that he conducted an inspection of Ukrainian units positioned in Kursk. The Ukrainian president declared, “Our men are holding back… 50,000 of the occupier’s army personnel who, due to the Kursk operation, cannot be deployed to other Russian offensive directions on our territory.” General Syrskyy separately commented that if not for Ukraine’s forces inside Kursk, “tens of thousands of enemies from the best Russian assault units would have been storming” Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk region, a critical area of conflict since the war began a decade ago. Combat continues fiercely in Donetsk, where both belligerents accused each other on Monday of causing damage to a dam near the Ukrainian-controlled town of Kurakhove. Russian troops have been making gradual advances in the region for several months towards the strategic city of Pokrovsk, a vital supply hub for Ukrainian forces. The New York Times, citing both unnamed US and Ukrainian officials, estimates the number of Russian and North Korean troops being prepared for the reported counter-offensive in Kursk at 50,000. The paper states, “A new US assessment concludes that Russia has massed the force without having to pull soldiers out of Ukraine’s east – its main battlefield priority – allowing Moscow to press on multiple fronts simultaneously.” Both Ukraine and the United States report that over 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been dispatched to Russia. Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of troops from North Korea, a close ally since the Soviet era, in Kursk. In North Korea, it was announced that its leader, Kim Jong un, had signed a decree formalizing a mutual defense treaty with Russia. This treaty was initially approved in June during a summit in Pyongyang involving Russian President Vladimir Putin. North Korea and Russia have cultivated increasingly strong ties since Moscow faced significant international isolation following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The US has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of supplying substantial quantities of military equipment to Russia, including ballistic missiles and launchers. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte recently suggested that Pyongyang was receiving military technology and other forms of assistance from Moscow to aid its efforts in circumventing international sanctions. Elsewhere, amidst considerable speculation regarding the implications of Donald Trump’s re-election victory last week, the Kremlin has refuted media reports alleging he held a phone call with President Vladimir Putin. The call, initially reported by the Washington Post on Sunday, is said to have taken place on Thursday. Trump reportedly cautioned the Russian president against escalating the conflict in Ukraine and highlighted America’s extensive military presence across Europe. Trump’s team informed the BBC that it would not provide comments on the president-elect’s “private calls.”