The U.S. says there will be a "firm response" as Ukrainian forces holding ground in Russia's Kursk region now face North Korean troops "engaging in combat."

Russia has amassed a large force of tens of thousands — including recently arrived North Korean troops — to carry out an assault on the Ukrainian positions in Russia’s Kursk region expected in the coming days,

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with a sophisticated combination of missiles and drones for the first time in 73 days on Wednesday, authorities reported, as the Pentagon said most of the North Korean troops sent to help Moscow’s war effort are fighting to drive Ukraine’s army off Russian soil in the Kursk border region.

Estimates from researchers in the U.S. in July suggested that the Kremlin faces eye-watering costs for its payouts to troops injured in the war in Ukraine.

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has approved new rules for compensation for wounded soldiers who took part in the war against Ukraine. Under the new conditions, a significant number of wounded Russian soldiers will receive reduced payments.

In the Ukraine conflict, Russia’s Su-35—a highly maneuverable “4++ generation” fighter—has faced stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces equipped with Western-supplied and Soviet-era defense systems, including F-16s.

Meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, Blinken also said the deployment of North Korean troops to help Russia in the Ukraine war "demands and will get a firm response". President-elect Trump,