### Ukraine Claims Moscow Arming North Korean Troops with Advanced Weaponry

Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence reported that Russia has supplied North Korean troops stationed in Russia with a variety of advanced weapons and equipment. According to the department's statement on Saturday, the North Korean soldiers have been armed with 60mm mortars, AK-12 rifles, RPK/PKM machine guns, SVD/SVF sniper rifles, Phoenix anti-tank guided missiles, and RPG-7s. Additionally, they have been provided with night vision goggles, thermal imagers, collimator optical sights, and binoculars.

Much of the equipment appears to be similar to what Russian soldiers use, particularly the AK-12, a standard service assault rifle, and the SVD sniper rifle, known as the "Dragunov." The latter is a semiautomatic sniper rifle designed to engage enemy personnel and other unarmored targets up to 800 meters away.

Earlier information disclosed by Ukraine featured a video showing North Korean troops outfitted in Russian gear at a military training facility in Russia. U.S. officials, during a press conference on Thursday, confirmed that approximately 8,000 North Korean troops are currently in the Russian frontline region of Kursk and are expected to be deployed in combat soon. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mentioned that Russian forces have trained these North Korean soldiers in artillery, drone operations, and basic infantry tactics.

"We've not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukraine's forces, but we expect that these North Korean soldiers will join the fight against Ukraine in the coming days," Austin stated.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Western allies to lift restrictions on long-range weaponry. He emphasized that such measures are essential to potentially enable Ukraine to conduct preemptive strikes against the North Korean forces assembling in Russia. "We could strike preemptively, if we had the ability to do so, with a long-range strike," Zelenskyy remarked, adding that the decision hinges on Ukraine's partners.