North Koreans' 'Ability Significantly Degraded' By Their Losses In Kursk

North Korean troops' 'abilities have been significantly degraded' by the heavy casualties they are suffering in Kursk oblast. 

Many of the losses are being caused by drones, which the North Koreans have been ordered to ignore. The scale of the losses suggests that the North Koreans currently deployed will have to be supplemented by new drafts and that they are not able to learn much about modern war because of the way the Russians are using them, which is contributing to their shocking numbers of dead and wounded. The wounded Koreans captured two days ago have revealed that they were told they were going to Russia for training and that they received one week's practice before being deployed. JL

The Institute for the Study of War and Olha Hlushchenko in Ukraine Pravda report:

Ukrainian forces inflicted significant losses on Russia's 810th Naval Infantry Brigade in the fall, pushing the Russian military to deploy North Korean forces to Kursk Oblast sooner than planned. North Korean forces are suffering high casualties, including one instance of  1,000 casualties in only one week in late December 2024. North Korean forces lost a battalion of infantry near Makhnovka, Kursk Oblast on January 3 and 4. 3,800 North Korean personnel have been killed or wounded in Kursk Oblast, a third of the 12,000 North Koreans there. North Korea's ability to learn from the fighting will be significantly degraded if the Russian command uses North Korean troops in highly attritional infantry-led assaults. North Korean forces' inability to learn to counter drones will also affect the lessons they can learn from the war.

Wildfire Tracking App Saves Lives In LA, Gains 14 Million Users This Week

As fierce Santa Ana winds continue to spread the Los Angeles fires, a once little known wildfire tracking app, run as a non-profit, has become among the most downloaded free apps in the Apple App Store.

Watch Duty has had 14 million unique users this week as people seek reliable information as the fires destroy many traditional communications systems. JL 

Eli Tqn and Ryan Mac report in the New York Times:

For thousands of Los Angeles residents, Watch Duty has become a lifeline in tracking the multiple wildfires blazing around the city. In a county of 10 million people, the news of the app has spread by word of mouth and in online community groups. The app has sometimes provided faster and more reliable updates than the city’s buggy mobile notification system. Watch Duty has remained among the most downloaded free apps in the Apple App Store. The app had 2 million downloads since Tuesday, and 14 million unique users this week. The app operates through a nonprofit with a team of 200 volunteers and 15 full-time employees, including retired firefighters and dispatchers. 

Putin Has Not Achieved Any Of His Strategic Goals In Ukraine Despite 700,000 Lost

In a stark assessment of Putin's military and diplomatic performance, Russia has not achieved a single one of its strategic objectives in Ukraine. 

And that, in fact, it's global influence has been weakened by the poor performance of its armed forces in an invasion once believed to be a walkover for Russia, leading to questions about the viability of his leadership. JL 

Zona Militar reports:

“Since 2022, Russia has suffered more than 700,000 casualties in Ukraine, more than Moscow has endured in all its conflicts since World War II combined. Russia's global stature and strategic position have continued to decline. And so Russia has paid a terrible price for this indefensible war. Yet Putin has not achieved a single one of his strategic objectives. Not one. Putin was so bogged down in Ukraine that, when the brutal dictator Assad in Syria collapsed after more than 50 years, all he could do was watch. Putin’s failure to save Assad’s regime is a stark warning to the few remaining countries that might align with the Kremlin.” 

Defending Niu-York, Near Toretsk, Azov Has Emerged As Leading Ukrainian Unit

Once suspect for its far right political sympathies, the Azov Brigade has emerged as one of Ukraine's most reliable units and has become an opponent the Russians fear. 

Among the reasons for its success are its all volunteer force and its embrace of NATO command management approach, which has improved its operational impact. JL

David Kirichenko reports in the Center For European Policy Analysis:

Niu-York, a critical frontline town located just south of Toretsk, became a focal point of Russia’s offensive in Donetsk Oblast during the summer of 2024. (But) the Azov Brigade defending it has held firm, refusing to cede terrotory. “During the Toretsk campaign, in less than three months, our Brigade neutralized more than 1,000 enemy forces . . . naturally, the enemy tries to discredit us to diminish our combat capabilities.” Azov has integrated NATO’s command and staff management systems, adopting the alliance’s frameworks to improve operational efficiency. This approach has helped give it a clear edge on the battlefield. 

20 Russian 4th Tank Division Armored Vehicles Destroyed In Failed Kharkiv Attack

Whether in Kursk, Kharkiv, Toretsk, Terny or any other part of the front, the Russians continue to take massive casualties with almost nothing to show for it. 

With Trump's inauguration one week away and Putin signalling he will now meet with Trump, it remains to be seen if the fruitless attacks will then stop. JL

Militarnyi reports:

Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade destroyed 20 units of armored vehicles of the 4th Tank Division of Russia. The destruction of the Russian tank division’s equipment took place from January 8 to 9, 2025, when the enemy attempted to attack the positions of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade in the Kharkiv region. After the vehicles left a road, they began to explode on pre-installed mines, which significantly delayed the attacking column's advance and allowed FPV drone operators to begin destroying the remains of the vehicles.

Out Of Ideas, Customers, Money, Streaming Companies Plan Mergers, Acquisitions

As streaming services proliferate, refuse to share, lower quality and raise prices, consumers - what a surprise! - cutting back. 

With growth slowed and new subscribers tapped out (as predicted), the next move will be further mergers and acquisitions that will probably lead to even higher consumer prices and less content. Aside from the business model failure, how else are they going to pay for rebuilding those fire destoyed multimillion dollar homes in Malibu? JL

Karl Bode reports in Tech Dirt:

Now that streaming subscriber growth has slowed, media giants are struggling to deliver Wall Street unrealistic quarterly growth. Since it’s impossible to add any more huge blocks of subscribers, they’re annoying existing consumers with restrictions (password sharing crackdowns) and price hikes to goose revenues. But the primary way they’ll please Wall Street is via more pointless and destructive mergers like the disastrous Time Warner, Discovery, AT&T. Major deals that temporarily goose stock valuations and drive massive tax cuts, but ultimately result in layoffs, price hikes, less overall competition, and lower quality. Consumers and workers are the ones that pay the price for the higher debt loads and distraction caused by pointless consolidation. They’ll respond by flocking to free options and piracy, and execs will blame everyone but themselves

Advancing Ukrainians At Kursk "Dismantle" North Korean Meat Assaults

Suffering from inadequate armor and artillery support, Russian units in Kursk defending against the renewed Ukrainian offensive, attempted to use North Korean infantry meat assaults to slow down the advancing Ukrainians. 

The Ukrainians reportedly "dismantled with surgical precision" the North Korean wave attacks. It is possible that the two North Koreans taken prisoner by Ukraine were part of this failed assault group. JL

Euromaidan Press reports:

The ongoing battle in the Kursk region has seen Russian forces desperately attempting to halt the Ukrainian offensive at any cost, resorting once again to their North Korean allies for help. The Ukrainians steamrolled through another North Korean human wave, even after they ran out of ammunition. North Korean units, already understrength from previous engagements, lack artillery and mechanized support due to their improper integration into Russian forces. As a result, they were forced to rely on infantry assaults against well-prepared Ukrainian mechanized units quipped with drone surveillance and electronic warfare, who dismantled intercepted counterattacks with surgical precision.