Kyiv, Ukraine

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Saturday (Dec 14) that Russia has started deploying North Korean soldiers to attack Ukraine’s positions in Russia’s Kursk region.

In his evening address, Zelensky said that he had "preliminary evidence that the Russians have begun to use soldiers from North Korea in assaults, a noticeable number of them."

According to the Ukrainian president, these soldiers are being included in Russian units and used in operations in the Kursk region, where Ukraine has been carrying out incursions since August. He also suggested that North Korean troops “may be used in other parts of the front line” and added that “losses among this category are also already noticeable.”

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Last month, Zelensky said that 11,000 North Korean troops were stationed in Russia’s Kursk region and had already suffered casualties. Washington and Seoul have also accused Pyongyang of sending over 10,000 troops to support Moscow following the signing of a significant defence agreement between Russia and North Korea earlier this year.

Also read: South Korea President Yoon impeached: What happens now? All you need to know

Ukraine replaces commander in Donetsk region

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Meanwhile, Ukraine's military leadership has replaced the commander responsible for overseeing defence operations in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces are advancing rapidly.

General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, 54, has been appointed to lead the operational and tactical group in Donetsk, replacing General Oleksandr Lutsenko. An official from Ukraine’s general staff told news agency Reuters, that Lutsenko faced criticism from Ukrainian military bloggers and some lawmakers for failing to stop Russia’s steady advance towards the key city of Pokrovsk.

In another development, Ukrainian drones conducted several strikes inside Russia overnight into Saturday. A fuel storage site in the central Oryol region was hit, triggering a fire and shattering windows in nearby homes. Oryol’s governor, Andrei Klychkov, described it as a “mass attack” on an infrastructure facility.

The drone strikes came just a day after Russia launched a major aerial assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Zelensky reported that Russia had fired “93 missiles and more than 200 drones” during Friday’s attacks.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.