Ukraine-Russia latest: Kyiv captures first North Korean POWs in Kursk as Moscow claims town in Donetsk

Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers and transported them to Kyiv for questioning in what the country’s security services say is “irrefutable evidence” of Pyongyang’s involvement with Russia.

Both soldiers were captured on 9 January in the Russian border region of Kursk. Another North Korean soldier was captured last month but died from their wounds shortly after being detained.

The Ukrainian security service, known as the SBU, said one of the two latest soldiers captured had fake Russian identification documents. The other had none at all.

Russia and North Korea both deny their soldiers are working together in Kursk. The US, Ukraine, UK and South Korea have all said they believe otherwise.

Communication with the two prisoners is being done through translators and in cooperation with South Korean intelligence.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, posting pictures of the two prisoners of war, said “the world needs to know the truth about what is happening”.

Meanwhile, the Russian military claimed to have taken control of the town of Shevchenko in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, located near the outskirts of the city of Pokrovsk.

The city is a key defensive position protecting the wider region. Ukrainian war trackers suggested the town had been, if not occupied, almost completely captured.

In their final meeting, Zelenskyy and Austin say military aid to Ukraine must continue under Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U_S_ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin used their final meeting in Germany to press the incoming Trump administration to not give up on Kyiv’s fight, warning that to cease military support now “will only invite more aggression, chaos and war.”

Russia dropped more than 50,000 glide bomb on Ukraine since Feb 22, says Kyiv

Russia has launched over 51,000 of guided aerial bombs on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine‘s air force said on Thursday.

About 40,000 of the total number was used in 2024, it said on Telegram.

In pictures: Zelensky attends 25th Ramstein meeting in Germany

German defence minister: will consider changing Ramstein format if US withdraws

German defence minister Boris Pistorius has said that a regular gathering of allies aimed at speeding up and synchronising arms deliveries to Ukraine was best kept under US leadership, with an eye to the new Trump administration.

“And if those in the United States now decide not to maintain this format any longer, then we will have to make our own decisions,” said Pistorius at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG).

He added that it was too early to speculate on what could happen to the format after US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on 20 January.

The group, comprised of about 50 allies who usually meet every few months at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was started in 2022 by outgoing US defense secretary Lloyd Austin.

Pistorius said Germany would be providing further guided missiles to Ukraine for the IRIS-T systems, initially intended for the German army, at short notice, and would stick to its schedule for delivering the systems it promised.

Slovakia will adopt measures against Ukraine if gas transit problem not solved, PM Fico says

Slovakia will adopt harsh reciprocal measures against Ukraine if the problem with halted gas transit through the country is not solved, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday after talks with EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen.

Fico has accused Kyiv of damaging Slovakia by not extending a gas transit deal with Russia to carry gas through Ukraine, and has threatened to retaliate by cutting emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine or reducing aid for refugees.

(independent)