North Korea

Ukraine pushes deeper into Russia's Kursk Oblast with armored assault, following six months of operations that inflicted 40,000 Russian casualties and secured cross-border positions.

Ukrainian forces maintain control of captured territory in Russia's Kursk region despite repeated counterattacks, while inflicting heavy casualties on North Korean auxiliary troops deployed to support Russian forces.

Desperate North Korean families are paying up to $500 for forged tuberculosis certificates—500 times the average monthly government salary—as mounting casualties in Russia's war drive citizens to extreme measures to protect their relatives.

Battle-experienced North Korean soldiers are creating a new combat force in Russia's rear areas, raising concerns about an expanding military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang following heavy losses in Ukraine's Kursk Oblast.

While suffering heavy casualties in human-wave attacks, North Korea maintains critical support to Russia's war effort, providing 60% of frontline ammunition and deploying disguised rocket launchers.