Quotes
We believe it has the intent to share space and satellite technology with the DPRK,
Blinken said
The Russians have deployed their strongest units to Kursk, including soldiers from North Korea. Importantly, all this manpower cannot now be redirected to other fronts – neither to the Donetsk region, nor against Sumy, the Kharkiv region or Zaporizhzhia,
Zelenskyy saidIf there is going to be, at some point, a ceasefire, it's not going to be, in Putin's mind, 'game over',
Blinken saidWe are registering a concentration of enemy equipment in another direction and naturally we understand that (Ukraine) will try to strike in this direction. Right now I won't say where,
said Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of a Chechen unit fighting for Russia in Kursk
During the Kursk operation, the enemy has already lost 38,000 of their soldiers in this direction alone, with nearly 15,000 of these losses being irreversible,
he saidIncluding those who can help boost our capabilities not only to defend against missiles but also against guided bombs and Russian aviation."
Zelensky said
The tradeoff for committing more troops in Kursk can cost Ukrainian land,
writes Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst who tracks the frontline in Ukraine for The Black Bird Group
There is no quick and easy solution in Ukraine, ... The new American president himself knows the United States has no chance of winning anything if Ukraine loses.”
he said, adding
Ukraine is grinding down Russian forces. Russian gains are small relative to costs. There has been no collapse of the front,
Kofman wrote
Ukraine is losing territory. The coldest part of the winter is yet ahead. The current theory of success is unclear, or what resources will be made available by the West in 2025.”
On the other hand, he saidThe morning in the Kursk region is starting off worryingly again. It is obvious that yesterday’s failure will not stop the enemy and he will try to impose his will on us again today,
wrote one blogger, Yuri PodolyakaThe positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region are very important, because, of course, this is what will matter for any negotiations that may take place in the coming year,
he said
Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and under international law, this right extends beyond its borders,
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement to Reuters
There’s a likelihood that we haven’t seen the main thrust of this Ukrainian offensive operation just yet,
he told ReutersMeasures are underway to identify and destroy enemy assault groups trying to infiltrate our combat formations,
the army said
The goals here are again political, not military, as in the Kursk operation in the summer,
said Ignatov
If we talk about the city of Kursk, then in previous months it was calmer – on some days, the missile threat warning could be one or two times a day,
said FurtsevAll this cannot help but cause concern among citizens living in the city of Kursk, since the sound and shockwaves from downed drones and missiles are noticeably carried throughout the city’s outskirts,
Furtsev continuedThere are all sorts of rumours,
Pogozhikh saidEverything is quiet and good in Kursk,
Pogozhikh told Al Jazeera