The primary objective of the Kursk gambit had to have been to fundamentally alter the course of the war -- either by drawing NATO countries more directly in, or by tanking Russian public opinion, or by credibly threatening Moscow. It failed; it's a bump in the road, not a course change.

And what evidence do you have that North Korean troops are in Ukraine? Keep in mind the U.S. has spy satellites that can read a license plate, so I'm looking for something solid, not merely a comment from a Ukranian official.