Ukrainians take North Korean soldiers captive

Ukrainian soldiers have captured two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed. The captured soldiers, despite sustaining injuries, survived and have been brought to Kyiv, where they are cooperating with investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine. Zelenskyy highlighted the difficulty of this operation, noting that Russian forces typically eliminate injured allied troops, including North Koreans, to erase evidence of their participation in the war against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the soldiers of Tactical Group No. 84 from Ukraine's Special Operations Forces and the paratroopers involved in the operation. Their efforts brought to light evidence of North Korea’s covert involvement in Russia's war efforts, a significant revelation amidst the ongoing conflict.

 Poland, Ukraine reach agreement on Volyn tragedy exhumations

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Jan. 10 a significant decision to begin the exhumation of the first victims of the Volyn tragedy, a painful and contentious episode in Polish-Ukrainian history. Tusk expressed gratitude for the cooperation between the Polish and Ukrainian ministers of culture, emphasizing the importance of further steps in this process. The Volyn massacre, occurring during World War II, resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Poles and Ukrainians. While Poland views the events as genocide committed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), Ukraine has called for a balanced acknowledgment of mutual responsibility for the atrocities.

This decision follows a Jan. 9 meeting in Poland between Ukrainian National Unity Minister Oleksii Chernyshov and Polish Culture Minister Anna Wroblewska, which underscored the importance of cultural collaboration in fostering reconciliation and socio-economic development. President Volodymyr Zelensky and Tusk had previously met in Lviv on Dec. 17 to discuss historical reconciliation, with Tusk stressing the need for unity despite historical challenges. The exhumations mark a crucial step toward addressing historical grievances and strengthening Polish-Ukrainian relations, particularly in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

Taliban becomes the largest buyer of Russian flour in 2024

In 2024, Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, emerged as the largest importer of Russian flour, doubling its purchases compared to the previous year, according to Reuters, citing Russia's state agricultural export agency, Agroexport. The increase is attributed to Afghanistan's limited domestic production capacity, which is insufficient to meet its flour demand.

This development coincides with Moscow's efforts to deepen ties with the Taliban regime. Recently, the Russian parliament moved closer to recognizing the Taliban government by voting to remove the group from its list of banned terrorist organizations. Agroexport's preliminary data reveals that Afghanistan imported nearly $80 million worth of Russian flour in 2024, a substantial increase from 2023.

The overall value of Russian wheat and wheat-rye flour exports reached $300 million in 2024, showing a 3% increase in value and a 7% rise in volume compared to the previous year. Alongside Afghanistan, China and Turkmenistan were among the top three buyers of Russian flour.