Russia prepares to attack Ukraine with 50,000 men

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed on Monday that Russia has deployed nearly 50,000 troops in the contested region of Kursk. With North Korean troops in assistance.

The Russian military is reportedly assembling a major force with over 50,000 soldiers, including troops from North Korea, as it prepares to begin an assault aimed at reclaiming territories seized by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia, according to U.S. media reports.

Kursk is the same region where Ukraine had launched its incursions into Russia in August, taking Moscow completely by surprise. The aim of the operation was to create a “buffer zone” to prevent future cross-border attacks from Russia.

Ukrainian forces had advanced deep into Russia’s territory and have since maintained control over hundreds of square miles of Russia’s territory. And while Russia has reclaimed some settlements, the line of control has remained largely unchanged.

Reports indicate that Russia has amassed a large force of tens of thousands — including recently arrived North Korean troops — to carry out an assault on the Ukrainian positions in Kursk. According to reports the offensive is expected in the coming days. For now, the North Koreans are training with Russian forces in the far western part of Kursk.

North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to fight with Russia in Kursk, American officials confirm. The troops are wearing Russian uniforms and have been equipped by Moscow, but they will probably fight in their own discrete units, U.S. defense officials indicate.

Ukrainian officials have reported that Russia had supplied the North Korean forces with machine guns, sniper rifles, antitank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky had informed last week that more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers were now in the region. It is also alleged that North Korean troops were now taking part in direct combat operations in Kursk, as well as defensive operations in the neighboring Belgorod region of Russia and in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.

North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s Kursk region have fought Kyiv’s forces on the battlefield, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, adding that the clashes resulted in fatalities.

The Kursk offensive by Ukraine was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II. The attack caught Moscow completely unprepared. Russia is eager to take back its territories and hand Ukraine a strong blow. With President elect Donald Trump’s inauguration around the corner, the US will be hard pressed to carve out some kind of an agreement between the two warring countries.