Latest update on Ukraine-Russia war: Putin’s troops disguised as Ukrainians attack the main city of Kupiansk

Dr. Patrick Berry, a former NATO analyst now at the University of Bath, said Ukrainian authorities’ claims that Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s comments about 50,000 troops in Kursk were drawing in Russian forces that should be deployed elsewhere. It was suggested that it is connected to

“The double-edged sword is that if it’s correct, the Russians could have a 5-to-1 advantage in manpower and could possibly be facing a major offensive there.” That’s true,” Dr Berry told The Independent.

He added: “Unfortunately, even though we have committed resources, we have not been able to significantly weaken the[eastern]front as the Ukrainians had hoped.”

President Vladimir Putin is determined to “wipe out” Ukraine’s hold on Kursk before President Donald Trump returns to the White House, a leading Russia affairs expert has told The Independent. Ta.

“The big advantage the Ukrainians had in Kursk was that the focus was really on the Donbass, where the veterans were, etc.,” says the author of War-Hardened: Russian Military History said historian Dr. Mark Galeotti.

“Now, especially given the prospect of a ceasefire that could freeze the front under the Trump administration, President Putin is determined that the Kursk salient must be cleared by the time President Trump takes office. I think this is what we are seeing now.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made it clear to President Vladimir Putin that sending North Korean soldiers to Russia for combat missions against Ukraine is a serious escalation and escalation of the conflict, a Berlin spokesman said.

More details have emerged from Berlin’s reading of an hour-long phone conversation between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Vladimir Putin, their first direct conversation since December 2022.

Scholz reportedly urged President Putin to open talks with Ukraine that would pave the way for a “just and lasting peace” and called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

The spokesperson said, “The Prime Minister called on Russia to demonstrate its willingness to enter into talks with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace,” and added, “The Prime Minister called on Russia to demonstrate its willingness to enter into talks with Ukraine in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.” “We underlined Germany’s firm determination to help,” he added. need. “

Scholz, the most unpopular German chancellor in history, is preparing for national elections on February 23, with his Social Democratic Party locked in a bitter battle with left-wing and far-right parties critical of Germany’s aid to Ukraine. facing competition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday that speaking by phone with President Vladimir Putin would lessen the isolation of the Russian leader and allow the war to continue, according to Ukrainian Presidential Administration officials. He warned her not to do so.

“The president said this would only help Putin feel less isolated. Putin doesn’t want real peace, he just wants a break,” a source told Reuters. spoke.

Scholz’s office said in a statement that Scholz spoke with Zelensky before and after his phone call with President Putin.

North Korea tests an explosive drone designed to hit targets, state official says, as North Korea ramps up support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and leader Kim Jong Un calls for accelerating mass production of the weapon The media reported.

According to the Berlin News Agency, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation to end the war in Ukraine and withdraw troops, stressing that Germany would support Ukraine as long as necessary.

In their first face-to-face meeting since December 2022, Scholz told Putin that Russia should prepare for negotiations with Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace, his spokesman said. That’s what it means.

A spokesman said Scholz had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy before the phone call and planned to speak again afterwards.

Poland has reopened its embassy in North Korea’s capital, becoming the second Western country to do so after Sweden in September, after it was shut down due to the pandemic.

The move opens channels of communication between Poland and North Korea, which are increasingly close allies of Russia, providing Moscow with troops to fight in Ukraine. Polish diplomats visited North Korea’s capital this week as Poland seeks to restore its diplomatic presence.

“The visit is of a technical and political nature, and one of the main objectives is to restore a permanent diplomatic presence,” Poland’s Foreign Ministry said.

The Polish embassy was closed in December 2020 after North Korean authorities announced a complete border closure due to the coronavirus, which the ministry said made normal operations of the diplomatic mission “impossible.” said.

Poland has ordered 52 FlyEye surveillance drones in a contract worth 100 million zlotys (£19.3 million), the defense minister has announced.

“We will develop a drone fleet… in all areas where drones can operate,” Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamisz said while signing the drone purchase agreement.

The new Military Drone Inspectorate, scheduled to begin operations in January, will coordinate strategies for the use of unmanned aircraft and unify training for operators, he said.

Manufactured by Poland’s WB Electronics, the FlyEye drone is designed to perform image reconnaissance from the air using day and night thermal imagery. FlyEye drones are already in service with the Polish military and are also being used in Ukraine in the war against Russia.

Kosiniak-Kamisz told a press conference that Poland would ask EU countries to allocate more funds to defense when the EU presidency begins in January, possibly using unspent funds from national recovery plans. Ta.

“It is good that the EU recognizes the need to support the military industry and the operational capabilities of EU countries’ armed forces, but more funding is needed,” he said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold a phone conversation on Friday, according to Bloomberg.

The last time the two leaders met directly was in December 2022.

Last month, German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock criticized Putin for rejecting his offer to talk, saying he had no intention of talking to Scholz about brokering peace in Ukraine.