Ukraine’s counter-offensive on the Lyman axis collapsed the northern arm of a Russian pincer movement aimed at surrounding Ukrainian-held Donetsk, liberating up to 176 square kilometres and forcing Russian units onto the defensive, the Washington-based think tank said.
Around 280,000 people are registered as missing in Ukraine alone, with 10,000 new cases added each month, part of a 70% global rise since 2019. Forensic experts meeting in Baku said the obstacle was not forensic capacity but governmental reluctance.
Seoul said Kyiv's public disclosure of the repatriation of two North Korean prisoners endangered their families in North Korea, where relatives of those who fall into enemy hands face punishment. Ukraine has rejected South Korea's accusations.
The POWs were captured by Ukrainian forces early last year after being deployed alongside thousands of North Korean troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine.
North Korean soldiers were among the foreign contingent conscripted to fight alongside Russian troops on various frontlines in the war on Ukraine, after the Kremlin sought assistance from its close allies to bolster its deployments amid struggles with domestic conscription.
Russia keeps up air strikes on Ukraine with an expanding fleet of drones, from the Shahed-136 to the jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5, while boosting production in Alabuga.