Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has deployed nearly 50,000 troops to Kursk, the southern Russian region where Kyiv launched its surprise counteroffensive in the summer.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement came a day after The New York Times reported that Moscow is preparing to launch an offensive in Kursk Oblast with a force of 50,000 soldiers, both Russian and North Korean.

The Ukrainian 95th airborne assault brigade released drone footage that it said showed strikes on Russian troops in Kursk region. Ukraine's top commander said Russia was aiming to retake territory it lost in the summer when Ukraine launched an incursion.