Victory Chronicles-DAY 986

Ukrainian intelligence sources have reported the first military clash between Ukrainian soldiers and North Korean troops in the Kursk region of Russia. 

The clash occurred in an area where Ukraine controls around 600 square kilometers of territory, just over half of what it previously held after a summer invasion. Russia had reportedly armed the North Korean troops in Kursk with various weapons, including mortars, assault rifles, machine guns, and anti-tank missile systems. Some of them were also equipped with night vision devices and thermal imagers. Ukrainian officials and military analysts have questioned whether the inexperienced North Korean soldiers are combat-ready. 

Meanwhile, Moscow is allegedly providing military technology and financial support to Pyongyang’s missile programs. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Song-Hui, with Choe expressing confidence in the Russian army’s abilities. Although Putin did not confirm the deployment, he hinted at its legitimacy under the DPRK-Russia security treaty.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications has provided updated statistics on the number of cultural sites damaged or destroyed by Russia. According to the ministry, 3288 sites have been affected since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. This includes 1179 cultural heritage sites and 2109 cultural infrastructure sites. The report states that among the affected sites, 120 are of national importance, 990 are of local importance, and 69 were newly discovered. Some regions, such as Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Dnipro, have experienced repeated damage to their cultural sites. Additionally, new damage has been recorded in regions including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Overall, cultural monuments in 18 regions and the city of Kyiv have suffered damage and destruction.

The suburbs of Kherson in Ukraine were targeted by Russian occupiers this afternoon, resulting in a shelling and multiple fires. The fires affected a private house, a summer kitchen, and outbuildings. However, thanks to the prompt response of rescuers and the local fire brigade, the fires were quickly extinguished. Their coordinated efforts successfully prevented further spread of the fire and ensured that the residents’ property was saved.

During a night operation in the Kharkiv region, an Achilles airborne assault unit of the 92nd Separate Mechanised Brigade achieved successful results. The enemy suffered significant losses: a cannon and UAZ-5131 were destroyed, a T-72 tank, a BRM and two Ural-4320s were damaged.

Russian drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure in Summer 2024 reportedly significantly impacted Ukrainian electrical generation capacity compared to March 2024, though it is unclear whether Russia had been able to inflict significant further damage on the Ukrainian energy grid since. 

Ukrainian energy experts told Politico in an article published on November 4 that Ukrainian power generation capacity decreased by over nine gigawatts between March 2024 and Summer 2024 after Russian forces launched more than 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine’s power production facilities in late August 2024.

Experts estimated that Ukrainian power production facilities generated 37.6 gigawatts of electricity in early 2022, likely referring to the period prior to the start of the Russian drone and missile campaign targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure in October 2022; 18.3 gigawatts in April 2023; 21.4 gigawatts in March 2024; and 12.1 gigawatts in Summer 2024. Politico noted that the extent of the damage that Russian strikes inflicted on Ukrainian power production facilities in August 2024 is unknown, and the data does not represent Ukraine’s most updated energy generation capacity as of November 2024. A Ukrainian energy expert told Politico that Ukraine needs additional air defense systems to protect its energy infrastructure. Artur Lorkowski, Director of The Energy Community (an international organization that manages Ukraine’s energy procurement), also stated that repairing damaged Ukrainian energy infrastructure may require a significant amount of time because it can take up to one year for Ukraine to find and reinstall specialized equipment like auto transformers.

Sailor Serhii “Vorchun” Kurianov was killed during a combat mission near the Tendrivska Spit in the Kherson region on 28 February 2024. The defender was 33 years old.

Serhii was born in the city of Dergachi, Kharkiv region. He graduated from Dergachi Gymnasium No. 3. In civilian life, he worked as a locksmith at the SANOIL enterprise.

After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he could not stand aside and joined the 73rd Naval Centre for Special Operations named after the Kosh Ataman Antin Holovaty, as a mechanic of the steering platoon of watercraft.

Seaman Serhii Kurianov was posthumously awarded the Order for Courage, III class. ‘He was a kind, open-minded person, a loving father to his only daughter and a true friend to everyone who knew him,’ said his ex-wife Iryna. The defender was buried in his hometown on the Alley of Glory at the Semenivka Cemetery. Serhii is survived by his 7-year-old daughter, his ex-wife, sister and niece.

*Serhii’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• G7 and allies coordinate response to Russia’s use of North Korean troops
• Russians train North Korean soldiers to become drone operators in Kursk Oblast
• Bloomberg: UK-licensed weapons used to protect Russian tankers
• Ukrainian defense forces strike over 3,000 Russian tanks over 2024 so far
• WSJ: Western intelligence suspects Russia of trying to ignite fires on flights to US and Canada
• Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau announced delivery of the first NASAMS air defense system to Ukraine