Moscow: Russia’s army said Monday it had captured another village in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where its troops were steadily advancing.
The defence ministry said in a statement that its forces had “liberated” the village of Yelyzavetivka, around 10 kilometres (six miles) south of Kurakhove, a resource-rich town Russian troops were also trying to seize.
With more manpower and weapons, Russia’s army has been grinding through the eastern Donetsk region in 2024.
Over the last two months, Russia has been advancing at its fastest pace since the start of the military offensive, as Moscow seeks to improve its position on the battlefield ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump coming to power in January.
Russia has also claimed in recent weeks to have advanced in its western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in the summer.
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Ukraine said Monday its troops had killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers who had been deployed by Russia to fight in Kursk.
“On December 14 and 15, army units from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) suffered significant losses near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, Martynovka in the Kursk region of Russia — at least 30 soldiers were killed and wounded,” Ukraine’s military intelligence said.
Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies say Pyongyang has sent around 10,000 troops to fight alongside Russia’s army in the region.
Asked about casualties among North Korean troops, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday declined to comment.
