Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has released the first video of the interrogation of North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia. Moreover, he is calling on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to exchange prisoners.
Points of attention
Ukrainian troops captured two North Korean soldiers on Russian territory.
Zelensky emphasized active work to exchange prisoners and the Russian army's dependence on North Korea's assistance.
A captured North Korean soldier revealed the real losses of his troops in Kursk.
What Zelensky offers to the DPRK
According to the head of state, in addition to the first two captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be others.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that it is only a matter of time, and the Defense Forces of Ukraine are actively working on its implementation every day.
In addition, the president added that no one in the world should have any doubts that the Russian army depends on military assistance from the DPRK.
Moreover, the head of state made it clear that there may be some other ways for North Korean soldiers who do not want to return.
For example, those Koreans who want to fight for peace by spreading the truth in Korean about this war will have that opportunity.
A captured North Korean soldier reported massive losses to the Russian army
On January 12, South Korean intelligence confirmed that Ukrainian soldiers managed to capture two North Korean occupiers.
Moreover, it is known that one of the prisoners admitted that "significant" losses were recorded among North Korean soldiers fighting on the side of Russia.
According to the Ukrainian side, the injuries sustained by the North Korean military are not critical.
Interestingly, the regime of dictator Kim Jong-un has not yet commented on the recent events in any way.
Advisors to US President-elect Donald Trump are developing a broad sanctions strategy that should help resolve Russia's war against Ukraine.
Points of attention
Advisors to President-elect Donald Trump are developing a sanctions strategy to resolve Russia's war against Ukraine by increasing pressure on Moscow and supporting sanctioned oil producers.
Two main approaches to sanctions against Russia are being discussed, one focusing on resolving the war in Ukraine and the other on putting more pressure on Moscow.
US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on over 30 Russian oil refining companies and one company from Serbia to reduce Russia's revenues from energy sales and finance in Ukraine.
Confirmation hearings for US Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio highlighted the importance of sanctions in influencing a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
The US is taking radical measures against Russian companies, including Rosneft's structure and former Baker Hughes assets in Russia, to combat Russia's illegal war against Ukraine.
Trump has two approaches to sanctions against Russia
According to Bloomberg sources, the Trump team is considering two main approaches to sanctions against Russia. The discussions involve some members of the incoming administration, former Trump administration officials and conservative think tanks.
The second option is based on even greater strengthening of sanctions pressure and increasing leverage over Moscow.
The agency's interlocutors say that the Trump team's plans are in the early stages and will ultimately depend on the decisions of the US president-elect himself.
Meanwhile, during his confirmation hearings for the position of US Secretary of State, Trump's nominee Marco Rubio called sanctions a key lever of influence that could lead to a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
Which Russian companies have been hit by new US sanctions?
According to representatives of the US government and the Treasury Department, sanctions have been imposed against more than 30 Russian oil refining companies, as well as another company from Serbia.
It is noted that the US Treasury Department has resorted to radical measures to fulfill the G7's demands to reduce Russia's revenues from energy sales, including blocking two major oil producers.
The following were subject to new sanctions:
"RN-Drilling" (a structure of Rosneft);
"OFS Technologies" (combining former Baker Hughes assets in Russia),
Russia has begun using North Korean artillery systems on the front, indicating Russia's increasingly critical situation with artillery systems and its dependence on imported weapons, said Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces' intelligence center.
Points of attention
Russian army facing artillery issues and increasingly relying on imported weapons, as revealed by Estonian intelligence.
Ongoing conflict in the Donetsk region between Russian and Ukrainian forces, with strategic strikes on key Russian infrastructure.
Both Russia and Ukraine employing airstrikes and missile attacks to weaken each other's military and economic targets.
Russia's use of North Korean artillery systems on the front reveals the critical situation with Russian artillery systems.
Current tactics indicate that both sides are focused on undermining the economic potential of the enemy to influence the course of the war.
The Russian army has problems with artillery
Kiviselg noted that the most notable tactical observation was the appearance of North Korean artillery systems on the front as part of Russian units.
This indicates Russia's increasingly critical situation with artillery systems and its dependence on imported weapons.
Kiviselg believes that in the 151st week of the war, trends that have already developed earlier persist, with Russian troops continuing to maintain the tactical initiative.
The main fighting is taking place in the Donetsk region in the Pokrovsky direction, where Russian troops are trying to advance in the western and eastern directions from the city.
Although the pace of advance has slowed, offensive pressure remains high, with an average of 164 attacks per day across the entire front.
Within a week, Russian troops were able to make slight advances in the directions of Velyka Novosilka, Toretsk, Godynnyk Yar, and Kupyansk.
In Kursk, Ukrainian units retreated to the positions they held before the new offensive on January 5. During the week, Ukrainian forces conducted several attacks in Kursk Oblast. Some settlements or districts are changing hands.
The reorganization of North Korean units operating in the Kursk region has not yielded significant results, the head of the intelligence center added.
Kiviselg added that Ukraine's rapidly effective defense, which is both fast-adapting and technically capable, withstands massive enemy pressure and gradually undermines its offensive capabilities.
Current situation on the front
At the same time, Ukraine continues to strike key Russian infrastructure. Over the past week, Ukraine has increased the number of strikes on Russian fuel and chemical industry enterprises.
The attack hit the Aleksinsky Chemical Plant in the Tula region, which produces ammunition, gunpowder, and materials for the Russian military-industrial complex. An ammunition depot at the Engels airfield in the Saratov region, which mainly stored high-explosive bombs, guided bombs, and cruise missiles, was also hit. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also struck the Saratov oil refinery. A large fire was reported at the facility after the strike.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out a second attack on the oil storage facility in Engels. The previous attack took place on January 8. The oil depot burned for five days and was extinguished only a day before the new attack.
On the night of January 15, Russian forces, in turn, attacked Ukraine, involving six Tu-95MS bombers and eight Tu-22M3 bombers that took off from the Olenegorsk airfield in the Murmansk region.
Both sides seek, first of all, to undermine the economic potential of the enemy, and thereby influence the course of the war, Kiviselg noted.