Russia has endured over 700,000 casualties since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022—more than in all of Moscow’s conflicts since World War II combined, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Jan.

North Korea is gaining crucial military experience and equipment by sending troops to Russia, a U.S. official warned the United Nations, making the regime a growing threat to neighboring countries.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has stated that Russia has suffered significant losses in its full-scale war against Ukraine, forcing Russian leader Vladimir Putin to deploy troops from North Korea out of desperation.

Ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office, Ukraine’s future course is shrouded in uncertainty as it loses ground to Russia’s far larger military.

Even as Russia seems to have the upper hand in its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin faces a growing number of challenges that will complicate any effort to lock in its gains, the outgoing Pentagon chief said.

But as the day began, the focus was less on Austin than what it means for him to depart. In the last three years, the secretary has convened this Ukraine Defense Contact Group — a gathering of 50 countries supporting Kyiv — 25 times.