<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/russia-ukraine" rel="" target="_blank" title="the fighting in Russia's Kursk region"><span>the fighting in Russia's Kursk region</span></a><span> and facing logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks, Ukraine's military intelligence said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The intelligence agency, known under its acronym GUR, said Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It said North Korean troops also faced supply issues and even shortages of drinking water.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/australians-visiting-new-york-reportedly-among-pedestrians-hit-by-taxi/6d58caab-b271-48c6-9c43-731bd9bceacc" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Australians reportedly among six hit when taxi veered into pedestrians in New York</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that 3000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost three-year war.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The casualty disclosure came as the Biden administration in the US was pressing to send as much military aid as possible to Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump takes over in January.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/north-korean-troops-suffer-heavy-casualties-ukraine-intelligence-says/c024170a-7b0f-476d-af8d-2f56ba03d3d1" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ukrainian forces launched an incursion into the Kursk region in August, dealing a significant blow to Russia's prestige and forcing it to deploy some of its troops from eastern Ukraine, where they were pressing a slow-moving offensive.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Russian army has been able to reclaim some territory in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces, but has failed to fully dislodge them.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-to-hobart-yacht-race-two-people-dead-in-accidents/ed33c03e-219c-4dd3-8c89-d403db30a11a" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Investigation promised after Sydney to Hobart race deaths overnight</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At the same time, Russia has sought to break Ukraine's resistance with waves of strikes with cruise missiles and drones against Ukraine's power grid and other infrastructure.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The latest attack on Christmas morning involved 78 missiles and 106 drones, striking power facilities, Ukraine's air force said. It claimed to have intercepted 59 missiles and 54 drones and jammed 52 other drones.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Thursday, Russia attacked Ukraine with 31 exploding drones. Twenty were shot down and another 11 didn't reach their target due to jamming, the Ukrainian air force said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As part of the daily barrage, Russian forces also struck a central market in Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region with a drone, wounding eight people, according to local authorities.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/boxing-day-tsunami-20-year-anniversary-joe-giardina-survival-tale/e413d7e3-d448-4d86-a97e-ab3c51ebda94" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Joe lost his 'joyful' son in the 2004 tsunami. Then he fought for victims</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that Russia could again hit Ukraine with the new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile that was first used in a November 21 strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Speaking to reporters, Putin said Russia has just a few Oreshnik missiles, but added that it wouldn't hesitate to use them on Ukraine.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We aren't in a rush to use them, because those are powerful weapons intended for certain tasks," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But we wouldn't exclude their use today or tomorrow if necessary."</span></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2022/02/24/18/32/russia-ukraine-update-how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-has-unfolded-in-pictures"><img alt="June 17" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/7MRGU8P4YfEK5rX5EzeHxA1D7Ro=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F70e5cb23-9fca-461d-b8e3-a9cb7e4b45e4" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/7MRGU8P4YfEK5rX5EzeHxA1D7Ro=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F70e5cb23-9fca-461d-b8e3-a9cb7e4b45e4 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/P2LhS-YWK64p2ZJwWNb-1NhauBI=/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F70e5cb23-9fca-461d-b8e3-a9cb7e4b45e4 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">Ukraine defenders 'bending but not breaking' in fierce fighting</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2022/02/24/18/32/russia-ukraine-update-how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-has-unfolded-in-pictures">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Putin said Russia has launched serial production of the new weapon and reaffirmed a plan to deploy some of Oreshnik missiles to Russia's neighbour and ally Belarus. Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko told reporters Thursday that his country could host 10 or more.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ukraine struck back with drone strikes of its own. Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications said the military struck a plant in Kamensk-Shakhtynsky in Russia's southern Rostov region that produces propellant for ballistic missiles.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This strike is part of a comprehensive campaign to weaken the capabilities of the Russian armed forces to carry out terrorist attacks against Ukrainian civilians," it said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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