Outnumbered Ukrainian troops are clinging to a section of Russian territory in hopes of using it as a bargaining chip in any future negotiations.

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SOF) have reported the elimination of three more North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast and seized their documents, which display signs of forgery. The documents are likely being used by Russia to conceal the presence of North Korean military personnel.

A relative majority of Ukrainians (40%) believe that the offensive operation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region has improved Kyiv’s chances of achieving its goals in peace negotiations.

Reclaiming Kursk is high on Moscow's agenda but comments by Valery Gerasimov failed to address the continuing presence of Ukrainian troops on Russian soil.

Ukraine said on Monday that North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops suffered heavy losses during fighting at the weekend in the Russian region of Kursk.

Trump has said he wants to end the conflict as quickly as possible, which would seemingly entail forcing Ukraine to accept a deal more favorable to Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded fighting against Ukraine's incursion in Russia's Kursk region.

North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were given fake military documents with Russian names and birthplaces, the Ukrainian military said, amid claims from Kyiv that Russia is trying to conceal the presence of foreign fighters on the battlefield.

Fighters from the 8th Separate Special Operations Regiment have killed 77 North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk Oblast over the past three days. Source: Ukrainian Special Operations Forces on Telegram Quote: "Kursk Oblast.

Ukraine's intelligence services released new information Tuesday about the conduct of North Korean troops now fighting alongside Russian forces in the western Russian region of Kursk, which since August has been a key front of Moscow's war on its neighbor.

Six people were killed and ten more were hospitalized in the Friday strike, Kursk acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein said.