**North Korean Troops Suffer Heavy Casualties in Ukraine**
A phone call released by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) suggests that hundreds of North Korean soldiers are being wounded or killed fighting for Russia in Kursk Oblast.
In the call, a nurse at a Moscow hospital tells her husband, who is fighting in Kursk Oblast, that many wounded fighters are being brought in on trains. She says that 200 soldiers were brought in just today, and hundreds more before that.
The claims made by the nurse match recent Western estimates of North Korean losses. A senior US military official said that a couple hundred North Korean troops have been killed or wounded fighting against Ukraine in Kursk Oblast.
Russia has reportedly deployed over 10,000 North Korean soldiers to help oust Ukrainian forces since August. Despite this, Ukrainian soldiers are struggling due to the Russian advantage in manpower and equipment.
**Ukrainian Forces on Back Foot**
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russian and North Korean forces are carrying out an intensive offensive in Kursk Oblast for the third day in a row. Ukraine’s allies have doubled down on economic and military support for Kyiv, but the war-torn nation still faces significant challenges.
**Western Support Continues**
NATO has assumed responsibility for coordinating Western military aid to Ukraine through the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine center. The US plans to allocate funds from the presidential drawdown authority, and German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has received an order to supply Ukraine with 20 additional Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
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