Since the beginning of the day, there have been 183 combat clashes at the front, the most in Kurshchyna of the Russian Federation – General Staff of the Armed Forces

Since the beginning of this day, 183 combat clashes have taken place. The majority of attacks by Russian troops were recorded in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, as well as in the Pokrovsky, Kurakhiv and Vremiv areas, according to the evening summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on December 17.

“In Kurshchyna, the Defense Forces repelled 42 assaults by Russian invaders, the enemy carried out eight airstrikes and launched more than three hundred artillery barrages, three clashes are still ongoing,” the message states.

According to the headquarters, in the Pokrovsky direction, since the beginning of this day, Russian troops have attacked 35 times in the areas of Myrolyubivka, Promenya, Lysivka, Dachensky, Novy Trud, Novovasylivka, Pischany, Novoolenivka, Novopustinka, Chumatsky, Ukrainka, Sukhoi Yar, and Novoelizavetivka.

“In the Kurakhiv direction, the enemy made 26 attempts to break through our defenses near the settlements of Sontsivka, Stari Terny, Kurakhove and Yantarne. In the Vremivsk direction, the enemy attacked our units 22 times near Kostyantynopolskyi, Suhy Yali, Storozhevo, Novosilok, Temyrivka, Novopol, and Novodarivka,” the Armed Forces said.

In addition, Russian troops attacked in the Kharkiv, Kupyan, Lyman, Siver, Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Orihiv, and Dnieper directions.

On Tuesday, December 17, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Russian military has been conducting “intensive offensive operations” in the Kursk region for the third day.

“For the third day, the enemy is carrying out intensive offensive actions on the territory of the Kursk region, actively using units of the North Korean army. North Korean mercenaries have already suffered heavy losses. The Ukrainian defenders are firmly holding the defense, destroying the enemy’s personnel and equipment,” he added.

On December 14, Zelensky announced the availability of data on the beginning of the use of North Korean troops in assaults against Ukrainian forces in Kurshchyna. “The Russians include them in consolidated units and use them in operations in the districts of the Kursk region. So far, only there,” he said.

On December 15, “Schemy” (Radio Liberty) received a photo from sources among the military in the Kursk direction. These pictures, which journalists cannot independently verify at the moment, show the results of several assaults. Several dozen bodies can be seen against the background of broken equipment.

“Schemes” sources among the military claim that among them are soldiers from North Korea who were active in joint units of the Russian army.

The editorial staff of RFE/RL is currently unable to verify this data from open sources. The Russian military command did not comment on this information.

At the end of October, it was reported that North Korea had sent military personnel to Russia to participate in hostilities against Ukraine. According to Ukraine and Western countries, more than 10,000 North Korean troops have arrived in the Kursk region.