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,

The upper house of Russian parliament has ratified a treaty with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, confirmed that North Korean soldiers sent to the Kursk region are being trained by Russians to operate reconnaissance and attack drones.