Ukraine is facing a ‘hammer blow’ of 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out? - IN DEPTH: Experts tell Andy Gregory and Tom Watling that the real question is how much Kyiv’s troops are able

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 region.

"Today I can confirm that over 10,000 (North Korean) soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces,