► Russia claims the capture of a village in the East
Russia claimed, Monday, December 23, the capture of a new village in eastern Ukraine, about fifteen kilometers from the limits of the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, where its troops have the advantage against soldiers Ukrainians in difficulty.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its forces had ” released “ the village of Storojevoi, in the eastern region of Donetsk. It is located very close to the small town of Velyka Novossilka, which its soldiers seem to be encircling.
► 1,100 North Korean soldiers killed or injured, according to Seoul
More than 1,100 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured since fighting against Ukraine alongside Russia, the South Korean General Staff said Monday.
South Korea has also observed preparations that make it believe North Korea is preparing to send more troops to Russia.
Intelligence gathered by South Korea indicates that the North “is producing and delivering drones that can self-destruct” to Russia. According to the general staff, Pyongyang also supplies Moscow with its 170 mm self-propelled guns, the formidable “Koksan” with a range of 40 to 60 km.
The South Korean military believes North Korea is seeking to modernize its conventional warfare capabilities with Russian assistance, based on its combat experience against Ukrainian forces.
► The Slovak Prime Minister met Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin received Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the Kremlin on Sunday, one of the only European leaders to have remained close to him, amid complete uncertainty over the future of Russian gas transit to the European Union. This visit by a Western leader to Moscow, very rare, had not been officially announced.
Robert Fico, who has again led the government of Slovakia, a member country of the EU and NATO, since the fall of 2023, has decided to stop all military aid to Ukraine and is calling for peace talks. He also accuses kyiv of endangering his country's supply of Russian gas, on which it is very dependent.
► Putin promises more “destruction” after attack in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday promised even more “destruction” to Ukraine after a drone attack the day before, which Moscow attributes to kyiv, against buildings in Kazan, a city in central Russia. This targeted residential buildings without causing any casualties according to local authorities.
“Anyone who attempts to destroy anything in our country, no matter how small, will face much greater destruction in their own country and will regret what they tried to do to our country.”he said at an official ceremony while commenting on Saturday's strike in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
