Russian troops regained control from Ukraine of the village of Nikolayevo-Darino in Russia's western Kursk region, the Defence Ministry said on Monday.

While weapons and supplies have arrived from countries like Iran and China, reports emerged last year that North Korean troops were also being deployed to fight alongside Russian forces. Their presence on the battlefield has now come under scrutiny as reports suggest they have suffered heavy casualties and may have temporarily withdrawn from combat.

North Korean forces are taking respite from hostilities, presumably to treat the wounded, wait for reinforcements, and work on mistakes made during the fighting in this sector of the front, according to Sky News.

Russia's military said Monday that its forces regained control of Nikolayevo-Darino, a small village captured by Ukrainian troops during their cross-border offensive into the southwestern Kursk region last year.

Ukrainian forces have carried out successful counterattacks. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Ukrainian forces have recently advanced in the Kursk region of Russia.

Darino, a small village captured by Ukrainian troops during their cross-border offensive into the Kursk region last August.

Ukraine is holding parts of Kursk as Trump pushes for negotiations with Russia. That has the potential to work out well for Kyiv.

Britain's defense ministry said about 1,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and about 3,000 more had been wounded fighting against Ukraine.

What’s old is new again as Russia’s wider war on Ukraine grinds toward its fourth year. During World War II, some armies—the British Army, in particular—bolted metal spans to the top of tank chassis and used the resulting “funnies” to rapidly erect bridges across vehicle-halting gaps on the battlefield.

Ukraine aimed to challenge the self-imposed red lines set by the Biden administration and other Western leaders regarding its ability to strike back against Russia.

In a significant escalation of military tensions, Russia's Lancet drone has successfully targeted and destroyed a U.S.-made Abrams tank in the Kursk region, marking the first such strike since the Trump administration.

For the second time in three days, Kyiv launched a massive UAV attack on a critical oil refinery in Ryazan, which produces fuel for Russia’s war machine.