The developments come after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact with North Korea on Saturday evening, requiring both countries to provide immediate military aid by “all means” in the event of an attack on either other of the two countries. This agreement constitutes the strongest link between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.
Earlier this week, Ukraine reported that its troops had engaged North Korean units in combat for the first time. US officials earlier confirmed the deployment of at least 3,000 North Korean troops to Russia, while Kyiv has repeatedly said the number is much higher. This has fueled fears of a marked escalation of Russia’s war against Ukraine and a spillover of tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
Moscow and Kyiv have remained silent on the number of casualties since the start of the war, despite reports of considerable losses suffered by Russian forces following attacks aimed at depleting Ukraine’s defenses.
However, British Chief of Defense Staff Tony Radakin told the BBC that Russian forces in October suffered their worst month of losses since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022 He said Russian troops suffered an average of 1,500 deaths and injuries per day, bringing their total casualties to 700,000.
Radakin said “ordinary” Russians are paying “an extraordinary price” for the war, even as the military continues to make gains in Ukraine. He did not say how British officials calculated the number of Russian casualties.
“There is no doubt that Russia is making tactical and territorial gains, which puts pressure on Ukraine,” he said. However, he added that Moscow’s growing spending on defense and security is putting increasing pressure on the country.
Mr. Radakin insisted that Ukraine’s Western partners should support the country “as long as it takes” to repel Russian aggression, even as allies have indicated that Kyiv may have to cede territory to achieve peace.
Russia is cautiously optimistic about Donald Trump’s future presidency. “At least he talks about peace and not confrontation. The signals are positive. Trump said during his election campaign that he could reach agreements that would lead everyone to peace,” Dmitri Peskov, the official Kremlin spokesperson, said at a press briefing.
“He is not talking about a desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, which distinguishes him favorably from the current (US) administration,” he added.
Damage on both camps
In addition, fierce fighting continued near the towns of Toretsk and Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian General Staff reported on Sunday. Between 700 and 1,000 residents remain in Kurakhove, a frontline town surrounded on three sides and in ruins. Most of them live underground, without running water, heating or electricity.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that 84 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight on Russian territory following what it called a “massive attack on civilian infrastructure.”
A man died under rubble after drones struck a building in Russia’s Belgorod region, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border, local governor Viacheslav Gladkov reported.
Five other people were injured in the Moscow suburb of Ramenskoe and in a neighboring village, according to local authorities. Russian channels broadcast testimonies from people who saw drone debris setting houses on fire.
Russia’s aviation authority said flights were briefly grounded at major international airports, including Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo. At least 14 Moscow-bound flights were rerouted to Nizhny Novgorod, a city more than 300 miles (490 kilometers) to the east, airport officials said.
The Ukrainian General Staff said on Sunday that Ukrainian drones caused a fire at a weapons depot in the Russian region of Bryansk, near Ukraine and Belarus.
Separately, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry announced that a major fire had broken out at a warehouse outside Moscow. There were no immediate reports of casualties, and it was not clear whether the fire was linked to the Ukrainian drone strikes.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched a record number of 145 drones into Ukrainian territory overnight, 62 of which were shot down. Sixty-seven others were “lost,” she said.
At least one person was injured when Russian drones struck residential areas in the port of Odessa in southern Ukraine, according to local governor Oleh Kiper.
In the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, at least five civilians, including a 17-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, were injured by falling drone debris and gunfire. artillery, Governor Oleh Syniehubov and local prosecutors said.
