Putin pushes to recapture Kursk region before Trump’s inauguration - The Telegraph

According to The Telegraph, in an effort to reclaim the Kursk region from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), Putin has deployed 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers. NATO allies believe the Russian president is hoping to secure these territories before Trump’s inauguration.

British military intelligence estimates that Russia will likely intensify kamikaze drone strikes on Ukrainian positions in the coming days, using newly established launch sites near the border.

Approximately 12,000 North Korean conscripts are also expected to be deployed in combat operations in the Kursk region under a mutual military assistance pact between Russia and North Korea signed earlier this year.

According to Ukrainian analysts, the Kremlin may also launch its largest counterattack in the Kursk region to gain momentum for a potential advance into the Sumy region.

As of now, Russia has regained about half of the territory the UAF captured during its August-launched operation.

Meanwhile, Western diplomats express concern that Putin will try to seize additional territory before Trump’s inauguration to give Russia greater leverage in any future peace negotiations.

The Telegraph added that following the launch of a counteroffensive in the Kursk region, Russia increased its frontline attacks, capturing more Ukrainian territory in October than in any month since mid-2022.

In August, a source within Ukraine’s military-political leadership told RBC-Ukraine that Putin had ordered Russian forces to take back the Kursk region by October 1.

At the same time, the Kremlin had directed that the operation be carried out by any means necessary, but without redeploying forces from key directions where Russia is conducting offensives in the Donbas region.