Russia claims to occupy 2 more villages in Ukraine's east; Kyiv hasn't confirmed ・Ukraine's special forces claim to repel North Korean assault in Russia's Kursk Oblast, killing 17 soldiers ・Ukraine opens doors to foreign firms for military equipment modernization ・Germany announces first deliveries of promised RCH 155

The majority of recent fighting has been concentrated to the east Sudzha, the only city in Kursk controlled by Kyiv, with Ukrainian forces advancing to the north and Russia countering in the south. Holding onto this sliver of Russian territory could prove vital in possible peace negotiations between Moscow and Ukraine.

Ukraine carried out its largest aerial attack on Russian territory of the nearly three-year war overnight, Kyiv said on Tuesday, hitting factories and energy hubs hundreds of miles from the frontline.