That’s because one of Trump’s proposals is for Ukraine and Russia to agree to an armistice along the current front line. And the current front line threads through southern and eastern Ukraine before looping into Kursk, where a powerful Ukrainian force invaded back in August.

The Pentagon estimates there are now "at least 10,000" North Korean forces inside Russia's Kursk Oblast, and Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, said that "those numbers could go up." Ryder said that overall there could be closer to 11,

North Korean troops clashed with Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region. This most likely occurred in an attempt to probe the Ukrainian defense line in the region, The New York Times reports. It is noted that this battle in the Kursk region was limited and not large-scale.