North Korean Troops in Ukraine? Kadyrov's Accusations. And More.

If true, the news would represent the biggest escalation of the Ukraine war so far. Across Sunday and Monday, word began to leak out in major newspapers that soldiers from a Russian ally would join in the conflict on Moscow's side, that thousands of foreign troops were already being trained inside Russia itself for combat in Ukraine.

Given that the Kremlin has threatened nuclear escalation against any nation that puts boots on the ground in Ukraine's favor, this in and of itself was newsworthy.

But it was the identity of the Russian ally, providing the troops that turned it into a bombshell. Rather than a nearby friend like Belarus, the reports suggested that Moscow was instead relying on soldiers from North Korea.