The North Korean troops fighting for Russia are highly trained and will stop at nothing to avoid surrender, Ukrainian sources tell Sam Kiley, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor, in Sumy

The officials, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, said that out of the estimated 11,000 troops sent from North Korea, known as DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), 4,000 were battle casualties.

Ukrainian defenders have struck the oil refinery in the Ryazan region for the second time this week. They also launched an attack on a forward command post of the Russian forces in the Kursk region, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Axe writes that Ukrainian troops pretended to retreat after a defeat, drawing the Russians into a wooded area near the village of Sverdlikove. Once the Russian forces moved in, they were struck by HIMARS.

Ukraine’s continued focus on Kursk shows how important Kyiv believes it is to hold on to Russian land, especially if Trump pushes both sides to the negotiating table.

President Trump’s initial attempts to lure Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table on Ukraine have been met with what essentially amounts to a shrug. “We don’t see anything new here,