Russian army preparing major offensive in Kursk region - CNN.

Russia plans to advance on positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region with a large grouping of tens of thousands of troops, including North Koreans.

According to a U.S. official, the new offensive could start in the coming days. Ukrainian commanders reported that North Korean forces are participating in battles in Kursk, as well as in defensive operations in the Belgorod region and in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

"Mostly, their tasks are defined as the second echelon of defense. In the Kursk region, this is direct combat. These groups will be involved in combat operations on the territory of Ukraine in the near future."

The composition of foreign troops also includes artillery specialists and snipers. Their involvement in defense allows the occupiers to move their soldiers to other areas of the front for the offensive. Later, they will be used in direct combat actions themselves.

"In military terms, these are three full-fledged brigades. Imagine that right now the enemy removes 10,000 soldiers from the second line of defense, puts soldiers from North Korea there, and sends these three brigades to one of the places where active combat operations are taking place. Three full-fledged brigades are a significant resource? Yes, it is a significant resource," he said.