North Korean troops have reportedly withdrawn from Russia’s Kursk region, but Kyiv’s top spy insists DPRK soldiers are still fighting against Ukraine, with experts citing strategic regrouping, poor intelligence or “panic” over Donald Trump’s return as reasons for the conflicting messages.

Reports about North Korean soldiers being withdrawn from combat first emerged last month, with Ukraine’s General Staff announcing as recently as Thursday that DPRK units had been pulled off the front line in Kursk after losing 4,000 soldiers.

“Of the three nominal North Korean brigades, one has been effectively destroyed, while the other two have lost combat effectiveness,” the