Ukraine’s presence in Russia’s Kursk region has deteriorated sharply, with the advance threatening Kyiv’s sole territorial bargaining counter at a crucial time in the war.

Ukraine’s military and Russian war bloggers say Russian special forces walked inside of a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in the Kursk region

A Russian offensive supported by North Korean troops in the past few days has made a serious advance in Russia's Kursk region northeast of Ukraine, breaking through Ukrainian positions and forcing them to withdraw to new defense lines,