A slap for Putin: CNN revealed data on Russia's losses in Kursk.

According to CNN, Ukrainian forces continue to hold positions in the territory of Russia in the Kursk region, although the enemy is trying to regain control over the captured territories and Donald Trump is calling for peace negotiations.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian army has suffered significant losses in battles in Kursk. Overall, Russian losses amount to 40,000 soldiers, of which 16,100 are irreversible. Ukrainian forces managed to capture 909 Russian military personnel, significantly replenishing the exchange fund and allowing hundreds of Ukrainian defenders to return home.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, reported the return of North Korean troops to combat operations in the Kursk region after previous reports of their withdrawal due to massive losses. 'Hundreds of North Korean and Russian soldiers have been destroyed in battles with Ukrainian forces,' he said.

'You will see later, when we reach a diplomatic resolution of the war, what conditions will arise before the Russians regarding the Kursk direction,' Zelensky stressed in his evening address.

According to expert estimates, the operation in the Kursk region is the largest strategic success of Ukraine since the liberation of Kherson in November 2022. Russia was forced to redeploy about 78,000 troops to the Kursk direction, including elite units that could have been involved on the eastern front of Ukraine.

Analyst Angelika Evans notes: 'Military activity will not lead to the collapse of the Russian state, but the pressure exerted by the Ukrainians may have such an effect.' According to her, discontent within Russia is growing as Ukraine has been able to hold Russian territory for six months, significantly undermining Putin's authority and his image as the protector of the state.

Holding positions on the front remains challenging. Russian troops are advancing towards Pokrovsk and Kupiansk.

Putin himself, in a conversation with the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein, admitted that the situation in the region is 'very difficult.'