**Russia Claims to Capture Kurakhove**
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on January 6 that its forces had fully captured the town of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast. However, this statement was not confirmed by Ukraine.
**Battles Ongoing in Kurakhove Sector**
Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces reported that battles are ongoing in the Kurakhove sector as Russia conducts assault operations in the urban area of Kurakhove towards Petropavlivka and Dachne. The reports come amid heavy Russian offensive operations in Donetsk Oblast.
**Ukrainian Forces Repel Assaults**
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said that over the past day, Ukrainian forces repelled 27 ground assaults near Kurakhove, Petropavlivka, Dachne, and Slovianka. The Khortytsia group also stated that measures are being taken to identify and destroy Russian assault groups trying to infiltrate their battle formations.
**Kurakhove Under Russian Control?**
The Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState shows Kurakhove almost completely in Russian hands, with Moscow’s forces apparently advancing west towards Dachne. If confirmed, this would make Kurakhove the first major town to fall into Russian hands in 2025 after capturing Avdiivka and Vuhledar last year.
**Major Developments**
* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada on or before January 8.
* Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko apologized to President Volodymyr Zelensky over the country’s involvement in the war, according to an interview with Lex Fridman.
* President Volodymyr Zelensky previously offered US President-elect Donald Trump for Ukraine to buy American weapons at the expense of $300 billion in frozen Russian assets.
**Casualties and Strikes**
* A total of 3,800 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
* Russian troops launched more than 630 attack drones, around 740 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 50 missiles of various types this week, targeting settlements across Ukraine.
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