Ukraine has advanced 5km (3 miles) deeper into Russian territory during the past week, as Russia again reportedly deployed North Korean forces against it. But as Kyiv’s forces advanced, United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a NATO meeting on Wednesday that it was “unrealistic” to expect a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders as he ruled out NATO membership for the war-torn nation – a major blow to Ukraine’s post-war ambitions.

Russian military bloggers who reported Ukraine's advances in the Kursk region have faced a crackdown from Moscow's authorities, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said. The Washington, D.C.,