The Russian army has reportedly suffered a major setback after a Ukrainian missile strike destroyed a key military command post in the city of Kursk, killing 17 marines.

Ukrainian troops hit a Russian command post in the town of Lgov in Kursk Oblast, allegedly killing 18 Russian soldiers, Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications reported on Dec. 26. Ukrainian forces reportedly hit the command post of Russia's 810th Separate Marine Brigade,

Ukrainian forces launched an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August, a move that undermined Russia’s military prestige and forced it to redeploy troops from eastern Ukraine, where its offensiv

SEOUL - South Korea’s spy agency said on Dec 27 it had confirmed that a North Korean soldier sent to back Russia’s war against Ukraine had been captured by Ukrainian forces. Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russian troops, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August.

Ukraine's military intelligence says that North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in the Kursk region and are facing logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks

Ukraine's military intelligence said Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. It said North Korean troops also faced supply issues and even shortages of drinking water.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has, for the first time, sent combatant units abroad, to aid Russia in the war in Ukraine. As noted in the Joint Statement on the DPRK’s Deployment of Troops to Russia this development indelibly connects the Indo-Pacific and European theaters,

"This fire strike is part of a comprehensive campaign to weaken the ability of the Russian Armed Forces to coordinate military operations against the people of Ukraine," Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications said.