**Russian and North Korean Forces Suffer Heavy Losses in Ukraine Conflict**
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has reported significant losses among Russian and North Korean forces during recent clashes in Russia’s southern Kursk region.
According to Zelensky, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops near the village of Makhnovka. A battalion typically consists of several hundred troops. This is considered a significant loss for the Russian forces.
The clashes occurred after Ukraine’s top commander reported that Russian forces had started moving towards the town of Toretsk. Zelensky has been calling on China to use its influence over North Korea to prevent the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the front line.
**Russia Stationed 12,000 North Korean Soldiers in Kursk Region**
It was earlier reported that Russia had stationed approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region to assist in ousting Ukrainian forces. The first confirmed battles between Ukrainian and North Korean units occurred on November 5.
Ukraine has been fighting to hold onto territory in the region since August 6. President Zelensky stated that this significant loss is a sign of things to come for Russia’s allies, who will be betrayed and isolated.
**Other Developments**
The Migration Department of the Georgian Interior Ministry initiated expulsion proceedings against 25 foreign nationals. In Transnistria, nearly 72,000 homes are without gas, while some 1,500 high-rise buildings are without heating and hot water.
Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on Kyiv Oblast early in the morning on January 3, killing one person and injuring four others, including a 16-year-old teenager. Slovakia’s state-controlled transmission system operator SEPS said it will continue supplying electricity to Ukraine as part of an emergency assistance contract.