► Russia launched an “intense” counter-offensive in its Kursk region
Russia launched a counter-offensive « intense »with the participation of North Korean troops, in its Kursk region, partially occupied by Ukrainian forces, declared Tuesday, December 17, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army Oleksandr Syrsky.
“For three days, the enemy has been carrying out intense offensive operations in the Kursk region, actively using units of the North Korean army” who already have “suffered heavy losses”declared General Oleksandr Syrsky while participating by videoconference in a congress of regional officials, broadcast on Ukrainian television.
► Ukraine claims the assassination of a senior Russian army official
Ukraine's security services (SBU) claimed responsibility for the assassination of a senior Russian military official this morning in an explosion in Moscow, an SBU source said.
“Today's bomb attack against Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, commander of the radiological, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian Armed Forces, is a special operation of the SBU”said this source.
► The Russian army claims the capture of a new locality in the east
The Russian army has claimed the capture of a new town in eastern Ukraine, Gannivka, at a time when Ukrainian troops are struggling to stop Russian advances in this area of the front.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have captured this town located less than ten kilometers south of Kurakhové, a town which is close to a large deposit of lithium, a rare mineral.
This announcement comes the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his troops, who, according to him, have “initiative across the board” head-on. The Russian army will conquer 189 Ukrainian localities in 2024, he assured in a speech given to the main executives of his defense ministry.
