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North Korean soldiers have suddenly disappeared from the front lines in Russia’s Kursk region, raising questions about whether Kim Jong-un is pulling back his forces to avoid further losses, Bild reports.

Ukraine believes that North Korean troops stationed in the region have been ordered to withdraw. Colonel Oleksandr Kondratenko of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces confirmed that no actions or clashes involving North Korean soldiers have been observed for the past three weeks.

Previously, The New York Times also reported on their withdrawal. Kondratenko stated that Ukraine believes the North Koreans pulled back due to heavy losses.

Frederick Spohr, director of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in South Korea, explained that Kim cannot afford to lose too many soldiers without risking domestic instability.

“Whether the North Koreans will actually leave remains to be seen. But Kim cannot sacrifice too many soldiers without facing internal pressure. If the losses are too high, he may switch to only supplying weapons to Russia,” Spohr told Bild.

According to South Korea, Ukraine, and the United States, North Korea has sent about 11,000 mercenaries to fight for Russia since October 2024. They were supposed to help retake Ukrainian-controlled territory, but thousands have already been killed or wounded.

The North Korean regime has remained silent about its military involvement. State media has consistently praised Russian-North Korean ties but has not acknowledged the deployment of troops.

“So how to deal with potentially very high losses and how to explain them to the public and loved ones could create problems for the regime,” Spohr noted. “Kim wants to avoid unrest and instability at all costs.”
 
NATO plans to oust Zelensky – Russian inte

The US-led military bloc sees the Ukrainian leader as an obstacle to peace talks, the SVR has claimed
NATO plans to oust Zelensky – Russian intel

NATO is considering trying to facilitate the removal of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky from power by discrediting him ahead of potential elections next fall, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed in a statement on Monday. The agency believes that Western officials see Zelensky as a key obstacle to peace talks with Moscow.

Zelensky remains in office despite his term having officially expired last May. He has refused to step down and postponed presidential elections, citing the martial law imposed in 2022 following the escalation of the conflict with Russia.

Western leaders are looking to “freeze” the conflict by pushing both Moscow and Kiev toward negotiations, but Zelensky is seen as a barrier, the SVR said.

“Washington and Brussels agree that the main obstacle to the implementation of such a scenario is Zelensky, who is referred to in Western circles as nothing more than ‘expendable material,’” the agency said in the statement, adding that “even NATO understands that Zelensky’s time is up.”

EU incapable of helping end Ukraine conflict – AfD leaderREAD MORE: EU incapable of helping end Ukraine conflict – AfD leader
To address this, the bloc is reportedly preparing a campaign to discredit Zelensky ahead of Ukraine’s next presidential elections, which the agency said could take place next fall. The SVR claimed that Western officials plan to release information linking Zelensky and his team to the embezzlement of over $1.5 billion in funds intended for purchasing military equipment.

Additionally, the report alleged that Zelensky’s administration was involved in schemes to divert the salaries of 130,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers who remain listed as active service members. The SVR also claimed that Zelensky was implicated in the illegal sale of Western-supplied weapons to armed groups in Africa.

The SVR suggested that the return of Donald Trump to the White House has created uncertainty over future Western support for Ukraine, which could accelerate efforts to replace Zelensky. According to the agency, NATO’s broader goal is to maintain Ukraine as an anti-Russian foothold, regardless of the situation on the battlefield.
 
Cha mlevi huliwa na mgema.
Uongozi wa Biden ni kama walevi TU.


3 Feb, 15:21
Billions in US aid to Ukraine vanishes into corrupt hands — Medvedev

"The grift continued in Kiev, with billions of dollars stolen, along with the weapons bought with the money, which are now turning up in various parts of the world," the politician noted
MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/. Billions of dollars in US aid allocated for Kiev was pilfered by corrupt officials both in Washington and Kiev, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.

Medvedev pointed to Vladimir Zelensky’s allegation that $100 bln of the money the US allocated for Kiev never got there. "This is simply a bald-faced lie. The $100 billion went into the pockets of all kinds of thieves, both in Washington and in Kiev. This money was hoovered up by those at the US Department of Defense, the CIA and defense companies. In fact, due to the large sum of money involved, it took them some time to suck it all up, but they were only too happy to do it," Medvedev wrote on Telegram. "The grift continued in Kiev, with billions of dollars stolen, along with the weapons bought with the money, which are now turning up in various parts of the world," he added.

"What’s next? Nothing. The thieves will pardon themselves," Medvedev went on to say. "Even naive attempts by Elon [Musk], chief of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), however well-intentioned, to investigate systemic theft within USAID and corruption involving assistance to Ukraine will all be for naught," the Russian Security Council deputy chairman concluded.

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One of the three North Korean military brigades fighting in Russia’s Kursk region has been completely destroyed, while the other two have suffered heavy losses.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated this in an interview with the Associated Press, as reported by Ukrinform.
 
Russian forces in Kursk Oblast have begun using less military equipment in their assaults on Ukrainian defense positions, the 225th Separate Assault Battalion reported on Telegram, alongside releasing footage of battles in the area.
 
⚡Putin on the relationship between Europe and Trump:

"There is some kind of fuss going on now between the European political elites and the newly elected US President Trump. Has anything changed since Biden's time? Nothing has changed! They happily carried out any order from Washington under Biden. They just don't like Trump. They actively fought him, interfered in political life, in the US election process.

Then they were confused when Trump suddenly won. They liked Biden more, you know? His approach. And Trump has different ideas about what is "good" and what is "bad". Including in gender policy, in some other issues. They kind of don't like it.

But I assure you: Trump, with his character, with his persistence, will restore order there quite quickly, and all of them, you will see, it will happen quickly, soon they will stand at the feet of the owner, and will be sweetly wagging their tails."
 
Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Borova, Lyman, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and in the Dnipro direction.

February 3, 2025, 7:20pm ET

 
Ukraine’s rapid advancements in defense technology are set to reshape the battlefield in 2025, with a focus on AI, drones, and electronic warfare, writes Brave1 head Natalia Kushnerska in her op-ed.
 
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