Speaking of the fall of Russia's national gate, we have to start from August 6, 2024. On that day, the Ukrainian army suddenly launched an attack from the direction of Sumy Oblast and rushed directly into the Russian Kursk Oblast. This was no small fight. Ukrainian troops advanced all the way with tanks, armored vehicles and drones and soon occupied several villages near the town of Suja.
The Russian border guards responded a little slowly at first because their main troops were concentrated in Donetsk to fight. As a result, Ukraine quickly took control of about 28 square kilometers of territory and destroyed a number of Russian outposts and bridges, causing local communications to be cut off. Residents panicked. More than 20,000 people hurriedly evacuated and ran along the road with some belongings.
Then, the battle escalated. On August 7, Putin rushed to a meeting and ordered the military to drive out the Ukraine, saying that the other party could not take this opportunity to ask for more things at the negotiating table. The Russian Air Force dispatched Su-34 fighter jets to throw guided bombs in an attempt to block Ukraine's advance, but Ukraine responded with portable air defense missiles and shot down several drones.
By August 9, Ukraine had advanced in the direction of Ligov, occupied some small villages, and destroyed Russian radar stations. The Russian side began to use missiles to attack Ukraine's rear supplies, hitting warehouses in Sumy Oblast, and exploded loudly. Throughout the process, both sides used artillery to bombard each other, causing many civilian casualties, and houses and farmland were damaged.
The fighting dragged on to its tenth day, and the area controlled by Ukraine expanded to about 500 square kilometers. Russia brought back airborne troops from other places and counterattacked outside the town of Suja, using helicopters to transport troops to surround each other. Ukraine used anti-tank missiles to kill several Russian tanks. Media reports said that Ukraine troops set up checkpoints in the occupied area to search vehicles to prevent spies. The Russian Air Force stepped up bombing and covered supply lines with cluster bombs. In September, Russia's counterattack became even more fierce, outflanking from the east and recovering villages such as Martinovka. Ukraine planted mines to block the road and destroyed the road. In October, Russia brought in North Korean troops to help and increased its manpower, but Ukraine still guarded some places.
The winter came, the bad weather, the mud left the vehicles unable to move, and the two sides turned into small-scale raids. Russia hit the Ukrainian post at night with heat imaging equipment. In January 2025, Russia again launched an offensive, pushing back from the state of Sumei, recovering around Koronevo, breaking the line of defense with tanks. Ukraine withdrew, the explosion bridge dragged time. In February, the Russian air force supported, throwing precision missiles to destroy the Ukrainian armored vehicles.
Ukraine engages in guerrillas and attacks Russian logistics. In early March, Russia surrounded the remnants of the enemy in the town of Suja and forced them to withdraw. On March 11, most Ukraine troops withdrew from Kursk Oblast. Russia said it had recovered major areas, but sporadic fighting continued. In April, Russia fully controlled the state and built infrastructure to allow residents to return, but border security was stricter. The entire incident resulted in heavy casualties, heavy economic losses, bomb craters were everywhere in farmland, and houses were severely damaged. The Russian military said it had destroyed hundreds of equipment in Ukraine, and Ukraine also said it had hit many Russian targets. This incident exposed loopholes in Russia's border defense, and the military later adjusted its deployment.
By October 2025, the situation was still changing. Russia continued its offensive in Kursk and northern Sumei, but there was little progress. On October 2, Russian troops fought in northern Sumei, but did not advance. The fighting continued in the unknown area, and Ukraine counterattacked in the vicinity of Koscianyinivka, Sadki and Unakivka. Russian military missiles and drones hit, and on October 20, Ukrainian drones bombed the Orenburg gas plant, affecting Kazakhstan's production.
The Russian army gathered forces to attack multiple places and also launched air strikes on Ukrainian troops near Tetkino and Ryzhivka. North Korean troops are testing their rocket systems to learn from modern warfare experiences. The Russian military commander criticized the officer's false report, which led to the deployment of troops. Throughout the frontier, the Russian army suffered heavy casualties, with Army Group North losing more than 50,000 losses from 2024 to 2025.
When the situation in Kursk was tight, the Russian media put forward the idea of using allies and named four countries: Belarus, North Korea, Iran and China. These countries have unusual relations with Russia and may help in military or material affairs. Belarus signed an alliance agreement with Russia and helped intercept Ukrainian drones on the border. However, Lukashenko said that he focused on protecting his own territory and did not want to directly engage with NATO to avoid the expansion of the conflict.
North Korea and Russia signed mutual aid agreements, Putin visited the DPRK in June 2024, if foreign invasion would help each other. But Russia defined Kursk as anti-terrorism, not war, did not trigger the terms. North Korea also faced US-Japan-Korea blockade, can not share a lot of heart. Iran has supplied Russia with drones and ammunition, but is busy in the Middle East, sanctions are heavy, help is limited. China is focused on the name, because China-Russia trade 2024 record, high level of cooperation, but China has been neutral, does not give military aid only, push negotiations.
In fact, Belarus did not send ground troops across the border until 2025, mainly on border surveillance. In September 2025, they conducted military exercises "West 2025" with Russia, exercised troops in Belarus and defended NATO, but did not directly enter Ukraine. The Lukashenko government was concerned about its own border, occasionally helping to deal with drones because of its own interests. Overall, Belarus provided logistical support, such as allowing Russia to fight Ukraine from within, but avoiding a deep trap.
The North Korean operation is even larger. In October 2024, it began to send troops, about 11,000, to the Russian gang. In 2025, South Korean intelligence said more than 2,000 were killed and British intelligence estimated 6,000 were killed. North Korean troops attacked the Russian gang in Kursk, but in the early stages, North Korean officials accused Russia of bad command. Kim Jong-un built a memorial in October 2025 to commemorate those soldiers who “liberated” Kursk, and also built a cemetery and exhibition hall. North Korea used this opportunity to test weapons and learn experience despite the tight situation on the peninsula.
Iran’s arms supply is stable.2024 to 2025, shipped tens of thousands of tons of ammunition straight from the production line.In August 2024, contracts were signed to buy hundreds of missiles, including FAT-360 short-range ballistic missiles. Western intelligence confirmed that Iran supplied thousands of drones, cannon and missiles to help Russia maintain the front.In 2025, Iran also helped Russian air defense experts visit Iran to discuss missile defense.Iran’s weapons accounted for 17 percent of Russia’s supplies through shadow trade circumvention.
As for China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on August 12, 2024, saying that it is paying close attention to Kursk and calling on all parties to abide by the three principles of non-expansion, non-escalation, and no fire, and support a political solution. The spokesman said that China has a consistent position, is committed to persuading peace and promoting talks, and is willing to communicate with all parties to create conditions for dialogue. China did not give military aid and insisted on neutrality, despite the name of Russian media. In November 2024, North Korea entered the war, and China responded low-key and did not directly support it. In March 2025, Ukrainian officials said China was too smart to send troops to help Russia. China has good relations with Russia. It has been 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations and a cultural year. However, the Ukrainian crisis has remained unchanged through negotiations.
This matter has been raging for so long, Russia has been beaten, and allies have different methods of helping each other. Belarus is cautious, North Korea fights, Iran supplies supplies, and China persuades peace. In reality, aid is limited, the war is protracted, and casualties are heavy. Russia regained territory, but at a high cost, and Ukraine also proved to be able to fight back. Internationally, the West sanctions Iran and Russia, and the European Union bans Russian financial institutions. What the future will look like depends on the negotiations. After Trump came to power in the United States, he talked about freezing the front line, but it was difficult for Russia to want territory. North Korea has high casualties and high domestic pressure. Iran is influenced by the Middle East. Can supply continue? China has a stable stance and helps promote peace. In general, this crisis has made everyone clear that there are no winners in the war, and the sooner we talk, the sooner we get better.