A combined force of 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops are preparing an attack to retake territory from Ukraine, according to assessments from US and Ukrainian officials. The target is land in Russia's Kursk region, where Russia has struck with missiles and artillery but stopped short of making a major assault, the New York Times reports. The US projects that Russia has put together the assault force without taking troops away from its main objective, Ukraine's east, and can attack on both fronts at the same time.
Ukraine has been responding with artillery fire and drone attacks, which have been effective and deadly against Russia's unprotected troops. Early Sunday, Ukrainian forces shook Moscow and its suburbs with a major drone attack. Three airports had to suspend operations. Russia sent what Ukraine called a record 145 drones back on Sunday night, per the AP. Some were reported shot down and other sent off-course by electronic jamming.
Also on Sunday, a UK defense official said Russia had lost more troops in October than in any other month since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Tony Radakin told the BBC Russia lost "on average over 1,500 people either killed or wounded every single day." Russia does not release casualty numbers. He acknowledged that "there is no doubt that Russia is making tactical, territorial gains and that is putting pressure on Ukraine." But he said the Russian people are paying an "extraordinary price" for the invasion ordered by President Vladimir Putin. The total toll is nearing "700,000 people killed or wounded," he said. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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