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Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia

Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia
A medic treats an injured Ukrainian serviceman on Pokrovsk direction in Ukraine on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 28 December 2024

Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia

Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia
  • Battles are so intense that some Ukrainian commanders cannot evacuate the dead
  • Communication lags and poorly timed tactics have cost lives, and troops have little way to counterattack

KYIV: Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk, a region some want to hold at all costs while others question the value of having gone in at all.
Battles are so intense that some Ukrainian commanders can’t evacuate the dead. Communication lags and poorly timed tactics have cost lives, and troops have little way to counterattack, seven front-line soldiers and commanders told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so they could discuss sensitive operations.
Since being caught unaware by the lightning Ukrainian incursion, Russia has amassed more than 50,000 troops in the region, including some from its ally North Korea. Precise numbers are hard to obtain, but Moscow’s counterattack has killed and wounded thousands and the overstretched Ukrainians have lost more than 40 percent of the 984 square kilometers (380 square miles) of Kursk they seized in August.
Its full-scale invasion three years ago left Russia holding a fifth of Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hinted that he hopes controlling Kursk will help force Moscow to negotiate an end to the war. But five Ukrainian and Western officials in Kyiv who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss sensitive military matters said they fear gambling on Kursk will weaken the whole 1000-kilometer front line, and Ukraine is losing precious ground in the east.
“We have, as they say, hit a hornet’s nest. We have stirred up another hot spot,” said Stepan Lutsiv, a major in the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade.
The border raid that became an occupation
Army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has said that Ukraine launched the operation because officials thought Russia was about to launch a new attack on northeast Ukraine.
It began on Aug. 5 with an order to leave Ukraine’s Sumy region for what they thought would be a nine-day raid to stun the enemy. It became an occupation that Ukrainians welcomed as their smaller country gained leverage and embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gathering his men, one company commander told them: “We’re making history; the whole world will know about us because this hasn’t been done since World War II.
Privately, he was less certain.
“It seemed crazy,” he said. “I didn’t understand why.”
Shocked by success achieved largely because the Russians were caught by surprise, the Ukrainians were ordered to advance beyond the original mission to the town of Korenevo, 25 kilometers into Russia. That was one of the first places where Russian troops counterattacked.
By early November the Russians began regaining territory rapidly. Once in awe of what they accomplished, troops’ opinions are shifting as they come to terms with losses. The company commander said half of his troops are dead or wounded.
Some front-line commanders said conditions are tough, morale is low and troops are questioning command decisions, even the very purpose of occupying Kursk.
Another commander said that some orders his men have received don’t reflect reality because of delays in communication. Delays occur especially when territory is lost to Russian troops, he said.
“They don’t understand where our side is, where the enemy is, what’s under our control, and what isn’t,” he said. “They don’t understand the operational situation, we so act at our own discretion.”
One platoon commander said higher ups have repeatedly turned down his requests to change his unit’s defensive position because he knows his men can’t hold the line.
“Those people who stand until the end are ending up MIA,” he said. He said he also knows of at least 20 Ukrainian soldiers whose bodies had been abandoned over the last four months because the battles were too intense to evacuate them without more casualties.
No option to retreat as Russia doubles down
Ukrainian soldiers said they were not prepared for the aggressive Russian response in Kursk, and cannot counterattack or pull back.
“There’s no other option. We’ll fight here because if we just pull back to our borders, they won’t stop; they’ll keep advancing,” said one drone unit commander.
The AP requested comment from Ukraine’s General Staff but did not receive a response before publication.
American longer-range weapons have slowed the Russian advance and North Korean soldiers who joined the fighting last month are easy targets for drones and artillery because they lack combat discipline and often move in large groups in the open, Ukrainian troops said.
On Monday, Zelensky said 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and wounded. But they appear to be learning from their mistakes, soldiers added, by becoming more adept at camouflaging near forested lines.
One clash took place last week near Vorontsovo tract, a forested area between the settlements of Kremenne and Vorontsovo.
Until last week, the area was under Ukraine’s control. This week part of it has been lost to Russian forces and Ukrainian troops fear they will reach a crucial logistics route.
Eyeing frontline losses in the eastern region known as the Donbas — where Russia is closing on a crucial supply hub — some soldiers are more vocal about whether Kursk has been worth it.
“All the military can think about now is that Donbas has simply been sold,” the platoon commander said. “At what price?”


Ivory Coast tightens protest ban ahead of presidential vote

Ivory Coast tightens protest ban ahead of presidential vote
Updated 58 min 56 sec ago

Ivory Coast tightens protest ban ahead of presidential vote

Ivory Coast tightens protest ban ahead of presidential vote
  • Ban applies to all political parties and groups except the five candidates officially approved to contest the October 25 vote

ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast authorities have imposed a sweeping two-month ban on political rallies and demonstrations just a week before a presidential election, in a move further restricting opposition activity.
The ban, announced late Friday by the interior and defense ministries, applies to all political parties and groups except the five candidates officially approved to contest the October 25 vote.
It comes amid rising tensions following the exclusion of opposition heavyweights Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam from the race.
Hundreds of people rallied at protests in Abidjan last weekend, with security forces dispersing crowds. Sporadic unrest, including road and school blockades, has been reported in several regions.
Around 700 people have been arrested over the past week, according to public prosecutor Oumar Braman Kone, who said phone data revealed calls for attacks on public institutions which he described as “acts of terrorism.”
On Thursday, 26 protesters were sentenced to three years in prison for public order offenses, and another 105 are due to stand trial next week.
The opposition coalition, which includes Gbagbo’s African Peoples’ Party – Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) and Thiam’s Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), has denounced President Alassane Ouattara’s bid for a fourth term.
Amnesty International urged authorities to stop “repressing” protests, but Justice Minister Sansan Kambile defended the crackdown, citing national security concerns.
Ouattara faces four challengers, including former minister Jean-Louis Billon and ex-first lady Simone Gbagbo.


Thailand ex-PM Abhisit reinstated as conservative party leader

Thailand ex-PM Abhisit reinstated as conservative party leader
Updated 18 October 2025

Thailand ex-PM Abhisit reinstated as conservative party leader

Thailand ex-PM Abhisit reinstated as conservative party leader
  • Abhisit Vejjajiva led Thailand from 2008 to 2011 during the global financial crisis
  • His leadership was marred by the military crackdown on ‘Red Shirts’ protesters in 2010

BANGKOK: Thailand’s oldest political party voted Saturday to reinstate as its leader a conservative ex-premier who led the country during a bloody military crackdown on “Red Shirts” protesters.
Abhisit Vejjajiva, who led Thailand from 2008 to 2011 during the global financial crisis, gained early popularity for his eloquent debating style.
But his leadership of the Democrat Party was marred by the military crackdown on “Red Shirts” protesters in 2010 that killed more than 90 people and left over 2,000 wounded.
Abhisit was branded by rivals as “the PM with blood on his hands” and his political career faltered in the following years amid internal party divisions, leading him to resign as its leader and then withdraw his membership in 2023.
On Saturday, party members voted with 96 percent support to reinstate him as leader in a vote broadcast on local media.
“I thank everyone for trusting my ability once again,” the 61-year-old – wearing the party’s blue color – told members after the vote.
“My heart never left here.”
Thailand is currently governed by a minority government, with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul pledging to dissolve parliament and hold a new election within four months.
Analysts say Abhisit’s comeback could position the Democrat Party as a key player in the next polls where he will likely be its leading candidate.
“People already have long-standing connections with him and the Democrat Party,” Ekkarin Tuansiri, a political scientist at Prince of Songkla University, told public broadcaster ThaiPBS, adding “but it won’t be easy.”
Founded in 1946, the Democrat Party was once a political powerhouse and a long-time rival to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s Red Shirts movement, but it has struggled in recent years with declining support and internal discord.
Born in England and educated at Oxford, Abhisit – a dual Thai-British national – has often been accused by rivals of being out of touch with Thais and evading the kingdom’s compulsory military service for men.


Pakistan, Afghanistan to hold peace talks in Doha after deadly clashes

Pakistan, Afghanistan to hold peace talks in Doha after deadly clashes
Updated 21 min 12 sec ago

Pakistan, Afghanistan to hold peace talks in Doha after deadly clashes

Pakistan, Afghanistan to hold peace talks in Doha after deadly clashes

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and intelligence chief will be traveling to Doha today, Saturday, to hold talks with representatives of the Afghan Taliban, Pakistani state media reported, hours after another Pakistani airstrike in Afghanistan.

The fierce battles between the two neighbors along their long, porous border broke out last Saturday and have led to the deaths of dozens of people on both sides, with Pakistan carrying out airstrikes in Kandahar and Kabul before a two-day truce that expired Friday evening.

Pakistan “conducted precision aerial strikes” in Afghan border areas on Friday, a security official said, adding that it targeted the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Friday’s strikes killed three Afghan cricketers among 10 people, authorities said.

The latest strikes ended 48 hours of calm between the two countries which was earlier reportedly extended for talks between Pakistani and Afghan officials in the Qatari capital of Doha.

“Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Intelligence Chief Lt General Asim Malik are scheduled to depart for Doha on Saturday,” the state-run Pakistan TV reported. “Taliban delegation is expected to be of equivalent seniority.”

Islamabad said the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group had been involved in a suicide bombing and gun attack at a military camp in the North Waziristan district that borders Afghanistan, which left seven Pakistani paramilitary troops dead on Friday.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board said that three players who were in the region for a tournament were killed by Friday’s airstrikes, revising down an earlier toll of eight.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump offered to help end hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“I do understand that Pakistan attacked or there is an attack going on with Afghanistan,” he said in a meeting with the Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.

“That’s an easy one for me to solve if I have to solve it. In the meantime, I have to run the USA. But I love solving wars.”

The clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan broke out amid Islamabad’s claims that the Afghan Taliban had been sheltering banned militant groups like the TTP and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which carry out cross-border attacks against Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations.


Thousands flee Philippine coast as storm approaches

Thousands flee Philippine coast as storm approaches
Updated 18 October 2025

Thousands flee Philippine coast as storm approaches

Thousands flee Philippine coast as storm approaches
  • Eye of the storm forecast to brush past Catanduanes, an impoverished island of 270,000 people
  • Fengshen will bring heavy rainfall, along with a ‘minimal to moderate risk’ of coastal flooding

MANILA: Thousands of residents of a Philippine island left their homes along the Pacific coast Saturday as weather experts warned of coastal flooding ahead of the approach of Tropical Storm Fengshen, rescue officials said.
The eye of the storm was forecast to brush past Catanduanes, an impoverished island of 270,000 people, later in the day with gusts of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) an hour.
Fengshen will bring heavy rainfall, along with a “minimal to moderate risk” of coastal flooding from 1-2 meter (3-2 foot) waves being pushed ashore by the disturbance, the government weather service said.
More than 9,000 residents of Catanduanes moved to safer ground, the provincial disaster office said, in a well-rehearsed routine on the island that is often the first major landmass hit by cyclones that form in the western Pacific Ocean.
The Catanduanes provincial government ordered local officials to “activate their respective evacuation plans” for residents of “high-risk areas” including the coast, low-lying communities and landslide-prone slopes, rescue official Gerry Rubio said.
The neighboring provinces of Sorsogon and Albay also called for preemptive evacuations, but official figures were not immediately available.
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, routinely striking disaster-prone areas where millions of people live in poverty.
Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the planet warms due to human-driven climate change.
Fengshen comes as the country reeled from a series of major earthquakes that killed at least 87 people over the past three weeks.


Anti-Trump protesters fire arrows at Colombian police, injuring four

Anti-Trump protesters fire arrows at Colombian police, injuring four
Updated 18 October 2025

Anti-Trump protesters fire arrows at Colombian police, injuring four

Anti-Trump protesters fire arrows at Colombian police, injuring four
  • Colombian defense ministry shares images depicting a chaotic scene outside the embassy
  • Protest group stages the event outside to denounce the right-wing agenda of US leader

BOGOTA: Four police officers in Colombia’s capital were injured Friday after protesters outside the US embassy fired arrows and explosives during a rally against President Donald Trump’s policies, officials said.
“Delinquents, some of whom were hooded, attacked the embassy with incendiary devices, explosives and arrows,” said Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan.
“Four police officers were wounded in the face, legs and arms.”
The defense ministry shared images depicting a chaotic scene outside the embassy, with one showing an officer with an arrow lodged in his arm.
The protest group, which called themselves “Congreso de los Pueblos” (People’s Congress), staged the event outside the embassy to denounce the right-wing agenda of Trump, a spokesperson for the group, Jimmy Moreno, said.
“We are demonstrating for our sovereignty, no more interference from the United States, against everything the United States has been involved in the genocide of Palestinians, its interference in Latin America, and the threats it has been making in the Caribbean... against the Venezuelan Bolivar model,” Moreno said.
The group began staging protests Monday in various locations throughout Bogota, but they did not turn violent until Friday.
Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has found himself at odds with Trump at various points this year, said in a post on the social network X that he “ordered maximum caution with the US embassy in Bogota.”
“A more radical group has attacked the police guarding the embassy, with several young people injured with arrows,” he added.
The protest group expressed agreement with Petro in a bulletin but called on the government to build “an anti-imperialist front.”