North Koreans in motion in Kursk, Kyiv says – DW – 12/14/2024

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has referred to as for a peaceable answer to the battle in Ukraine.

“Ukraine just isn’t (…) a proxy state with out its personal protection functionality, however a rustic that has determined to march in direction of Europe, that has a powerful democracy and a really robust military, outfitted with Western weapons,” he mentioned at a gathering with representatives of his occasion, the SPD, in Potsdam.

It was time to discover a answer, Scholz harassed. “Ukraine will survive and reside and be robust. There should be a peace that ends the killing,” he mentioned.

“We should now be sure that Ukraine’s sovereignty stays safe and that the killing stops sooner or later,” Scholz mentioned.

However, the Chancellor reiterated his opposition to the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s navy management has changed the commander overseeing the protection of the jap Donetsk area, the place Russian forces are making speedy advances.

General Oleksandr Tarnavsky has been appointed head of the Donetsk Operational and Tactical Group, changing General Oleksandr Lutsenko, the navy official mentioned.

Lutsenko was criticized by Ukrainian navy bloggers and a few lawmakers for failing to cease the relentless advance of Russian troops towards the strategic metropolis of Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub for Ukrainian navy and civilians within the jap Donetsk area.

Last month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy changed a number of different generals, saying modifications had been wanted.

Ukrainian drones carried out an in a single day assault on an oil facility in Russia’s western Oryol area. The facility is a vital supply of gas for Russian troops, the Ukrainian navy mentioned.

The drones hit the oil terminal Stalnoy Kon, which is about 170 kilometers (107 miles) from the border with Ukraine, a navy assertion mentioned.

Earlier, Russian regional governor Andrei Klychko mentioned on the Telegram messaging app that Ukrainian drones had hit a gas infrastructure facility, inflicting a fireplace however no casualties.

The Oryol area borders Russia’s Kursk area, the place Ukrainian troops took management of some settlements after crossing into Russian territory in August.

Moscow has begun involving a “noticeable quantity” of North Korean troops in its efforts to drive Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk area, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in his common tackle to the nation.

“Today there are already preliminary information that the Russians have begun utilizing troopers from North Korea within the assaults — a noticeable quantity,” Zelenskyy mentioned.

“The Russians embrace them in consolidated items and use them in operations within the Kursk area. For now, it is just there,” the Ukrainian president added.

Ukrainian troops started their incursion into the Kursk area in August and nonetheless management some settlements there. The transfer is a part of Kyiv’s try to ease strain on its forces in jap Ukraine, the place Russia has been making regular inroads.

Ukrainian and South Korean officers have beforehand mentioned that greater than 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia.

dh/jcg (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)