U.S. intelligence has said that North Korea’s deepening ties with Russia are enabling Kim Jong-un to “counterbalance” his country’s dependency on China. While the alliance between Pyongyang and Beijing is well established,

Russia has announced that its troops have fully reclaimed the Kursk region, nearly nine months after losing chunks of the border territory to a surprise Ukrainian incursion.

Pyongyang is dependent on the world's second-largest economy, but the "blood-cemented alliance" doesn't extend to security issues.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday defended his country's participation in the Russia-Ukraine war as an "exercise of its sovereign rights," according to media reports. Kim made the remarks during a visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang to mark the 80th anniversary of Russia's Victory Day, Yonhap News Agency reported on Saturday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised combined tactical drills of special operations forces and stressed "full preparations for war," state media reported Wednesday.