Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with a sophisticated combination of missiles and drones for the first time in 73 days on Wednesday, authorities reported, as the Pentagon said most of the North Korean troops sent to help Moscow's war effort are fighting to drive Ukraine's army off Russian soil in the Kursk border

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has deployed nearly 50,000 troops to Kursk, the southern Russian region where Kyiv launched its surprise counteroffensive in the summer.

Reports suggest 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops have amassed ahead of a major attack in the coming days

Russia has amassed a large force of tens of thousands — including recently arrived North Korean troops — to carry out an assault on the Ukrainian positions in Russia’s Kursk region expected in the coming days,

North Korean troops have begun engaging in combat operations alongside Russian forces, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday, expressing concern that Russia had turned to North Korea for soldiers to fight in its war with Ukraine.

Ukraine's military intelligence has intercepted what it claims are radio communications between North Korean soldiers in Russia, amid media reports of a massive troop buildup ahead of an attack in the Kursk region.

North Korea has signed off an a treaty with Russia calling for a "comprehensive strategic partnership," Pyongyang's state-controlled news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday. It comes as North Korean troops are in Russia fighting against Ukraine,

North Korea has ratified a landmark defence pact with Russia, state media reported Tuesday, sealing a deepening security cooperation between the two nations amid Moscow's war in Ukraine.