North Korea to start drone production in collaboration with Russia, media reports
The agreement will allow North Korea to develop and mass-produce several types of drones in coordination with Russia.
According to the sources, the drone production initiative is likely a reciprocated gesture to North Korea after the country has sent soldiers to support Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine.
This cooperation follows last year's strategic partnership treaty between the two countries.
Artyom Lukin of Russia's Far Eastern Federal University, previously told Reuters that the agreement is "for all intents and purposes... a pact of military alliance," Moscow's "first defense alliance outside the post-Soviet space."
The agreement also covers trade, investment, political and security cooperation.
As of early February, about 8,000 North Korean soldiers were fighting against Ukraine in Kursk Oblast, according to Budanov.
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed in the Russian region last fall to support Russian forces in countering a Ukrainian incursion launched six months ago, on Aug. 6 on 2024.
Read also: North Korean missiles show improved accuracy in Russian attacks on Ukraine, Reuters reports
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eater
25 minutes ago
- Eater
Koreatown's Crispiest Donkatsu Hides in an Unassuming LA Strip Mall
The scent of crispy, fried pork wafts through the dining room at My Donkatsu, a family-owned donkatsu shop in Koreatown. Handwritten messages cover the white walls in a myriad of colors, with previous diners praising the umami of the unagi katsu and the melted, gooey texture of the cheese katsu. Tucked away in an unassuming Koreatown strip mall on Olympic Boulevard, sandwiched between a dated travel agency and trinket shops, My Donkatsu makes some of the best tender, crispy donkatsu the neighborhood has to offer. Mr. and Mrs. Lim (who prefer to only use their surname) opened My Donkatsu in 2024. The couple met in their native South Korea when they were in their early 20s while both working at a five-star hotel in Seoul — Mr. Lim as a chef and Mrs. Lim as a server. 'The hotel was known for being very high-end and having strict standards, says Soli, the daughter of the Lims. 'My dad learned all of his cooking while working there.' Mrs. Lim had a long history in hospitality before opening My Donkatsu — her family owned restaurants in South Korea her whole life. The Lim family moved to America in 2005, but it took some time before they were ready to open their own restaurant. Cheese katsu. Wonho Frank Lee 'Restaurants are my dad's passion,' Soli says. 'My mom didn't work once we moved to America, but her energy is not the stay-at-home type. She wanted to do something with the family, and that's how it started.' The Lims began to brainstorm, searching for something that felt like it was missing from their Koreatown neighborhood. 'We had been thinking about a katsu place for a long time,' Soli says. Although there are plenty of well-known katsu shops in the neighborhood, like Wako Donkatsu, the Lims still felt like they didn't see the version of the dish they wanted to serve. 'There wasn't one in Koreatown that felt new and special, like a blend between Korean and Japanese-style katsu. We knew we wanted to do something different.' It took almost two years for the Lims to find a space; they didn't want anything too big, with a preference for a more casual, intimate setting. My Donkatsu currently offers five types of katsu: chicken, pork loin, pork belly, unagi, and cheese. Each order of katsu comes with salad, pickled cucumbers, seasoned greens, soup, rice, and two house-made dipping sauces. The chicken and pork loin are accompanied by a tangy brown sauce made with beef and vegetable gravy and an orange-hued spicy mayonnaise, while the unagi comes with a special eel sauce. The pork belly and cheese katsu are served with a salsa verde-inspired green sauce that has a mild kick to cut through the richness of the cheese and meat. 'The all-time most popular items are the classic pork and cheese katsu,' Soli says. 'The most popular katsu at the moment is the pork belly. When we first opened, it was the chicken. Some days, we fully sell out of the unagi.' My Donkatsu specializes in a blend of Korean and Japanese-style katsu. Japanese tonkatsu, rooted in French influence during the Meiji Period between 1868 and 1912, is traditionally prepared with a thicker cut of meat, coated in a thick layer of breadcrumbs; a soy-tinged dark brown sauce comes on the side for dipping. The dish is based on côtelette de veau, a breaded and fried piece of veal. Korean katsu, often spelled donkatsu, arrived in the country while it was under Japanese occupation in the 1930s. At first, it was seen as a luxury due to the high price of pork in the post-war era, but it slowly became more accessible to the general population in the 1970s. During the '80s, donkatsu exploded in popularity in South Korea, served Western-style with a fork and knife. In contrast to the Japanese tonkatsu, donkatsu is often pounded thinner and served slathered in sauce that is slightly sweeter than the Japanese version. At My Donkatsu, the two styles are fused. The chicken and pork katsu are cut thick, akin to the traditional Japanese style, but the sauce is a blend of both and has a consistency that can be used for dipping or poured on top. The Lims find little ways to distinguish their katsu from other shops in the area, such as a batter blend that includes fresh breadcrumbs to make the crust lighter and airier, while also adhering to the filling better. 'We looked into ways of minimizing that separation so every bite has the perfect ratio of meat to crust,' Soli says. The resulting breading is sturdy enough to stand up to the thicker cuts of meat, while still offering the sought-after craggly edges. My Donkatsu uses organic chicken breast for the chicken katsu, rather than the more commonly used chicken thighs. The Lims prefer the cut both for the texture and the assurance that the meat is hormone-free. Spread of dishes at My Donkatsu. Wonho Frank Lee The Lims also tested multiple brands of cheese before landing on the mozzarella and the technique they currently use for the cheese katsu. 'Our cheese katsu is not a typical cheese katsu — the kind that has a bit of mozzarella torched on top. Ours is wrapped with meat, so the cheese is kept inside without reducing the crunch of the crust,' Soli says. Mr. Lim sources the pork used at My Donkatsu himself, spending his mornings visiting different butchers in Koreatown to find the best cuts. Alongside the katsu, My Donkatsu also serves Korean comfort dishes like flame-torched bulgogi, udon, and bibimbap. 'Udon lovers consistently compliment our udon, stating that they can tell the flavor comes from the ingredients themselves, which is true,' Soli says. Exterior of My Donkatsu. Wonho Frank Lee Dining room at My Donkatsu. My Donkatsu only has a handful of tables to dine at and a smattering of banquet-hall-style chairs, but Soli says it's plenty of seating.'Customers eat really fast,' she says. 'Our average customer finishes in around 20 minutes.' With katsu, it's not only preferable to eat it while it's still piping hot — it's necessary in order to experience the golden, crispy crust. While the place might look deceptively empty due to the fast turnover, it quickly becomes clear just how busy they are with a passing glance at Mrs. Lim scurrying back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen as she prepares each plate and waits on tables. Although the entire family is involved with My Donkatsu, Soli credits her mom with being the heart of the business. 'My mom consistently puts in 12-hour days,' she says. 'She shows up at 9 a.m. to prepare everything and stays until 9:30 p.m. when she locks up for the night.' While the restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday, Mrs. Lim can often be found there on Mondays, receiving deliveries and tidying up the space for the week ahead. 'She treats every customer like her daughter or son. It's a very Korean mom kind of place,' says Soli. My Donkatsu is located at 3003 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90006 and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and until 9 p.m. on Sunday. Bibimbap. Wonho Frank Lee Bulgogi. Shrimp veggie pancake. Wonho Frank Lee Tornado shrimp. Wonho Frank Lee Pork gyoza. Unagi katsu. Wonho Frank Lee Cheese katsu. Wonho Frank Lee Messages from diners on the wall. Wonho Frank Lee Eater LA All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
Haley questions Trump's trade moves with China, India
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday questioned President Trump's trade moves with China and India, warning that the U.S. shouldn't 'burn' its relationship with India. 'India should not be buying oil from Russia. But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause,' Haley said in a post on the social platform X. 'Don't give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India,' she added. On Monday, Trump said he would raise tariffs on India over buying and selling oil from Moscow, asserting the country did not care about the Ukrainian casualties due to the war with Russia. Trump did not say the amount the tariff will rise on India, after he said he would impose a 25 percent tariff on the trading partner in July. 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,' he added. 'Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.' In May, the United States and China said they agreed to a 90-day pause on a majority of retaliatory tariffs imposed on each other since the beginning of April, when Trump unveiled his expansive global tariff plan and ratcheted up his trade war with China. American and Chinese officials last week agreed to continued discussions on extending tariff rates via the 90-day truce.
UPI
26 minutes ago
- UPI
Gallup Poll says U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV is world's most popular figure
1 of 9 | Data released Tuesday by the Washington-based Gallup suggested American-born Pope Leo XIV (pictured May 18 in St Peter's Square at the Vatican) had a 57% favorability rating and 11% unfavorable in a +46 net-favorable score. File Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A new Gallup survey shows that Pope Leo XIV is the most popular global figure among 14 names in its poll with a "strongly negative" skew for Elon Musk and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The data released Tuesday by the Washington-based firm suggested the pope had a 57% favorability rating and 11% unfavorable in a +46 net-favorable score. "That's unheard of in today's political climate," Christopher Hale, a Democratic Party figure and nonprofit leader, commented on social media. It showed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in second at 52% favorability but far below the Roman Catholic Church leader with a 34% unfavorable rate. Vermont's Independent-affiliated Sen. Bernie Sanders was third at a 49% favorable viewpoint in the Gallup Poll but with a 38% negative rating, too. "The direction of the American people's sentiments bends towards Bernie," Faiz Shakir, a Sanders adviser and nonprofit newsroom chief, posted Tuesday morning on X. A large number of survey participants left no opinion of French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. AOC's 34% favorable rating was matched with a 38% unfavorable with Macron's own 30% favorability and downside of 31%. Meanwhile, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sat near the middle of the survey resutls at 42% favorable, a 47% unfavorable but 3% of poll participants with no opinion of him. At the bottom rung of the 14-name poll was ex-White House DOGE adviser Elon Musk with a 33% favorable but 61% negative unfavorable rating. Musk was below Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at number 13 with only 29% of those in the survey having a favorable opinion of the far-right leader as the Gaza war continues with Hamas on top of a worsening humanitarian crisis among Palestinians. The Gallup favorability rating poll indicated that newsmakers viewed more negative than positive included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a -16 unfavorable rating, followed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at -12%. But tied at an 11% unfavorably were rumored Democratic presidential candidate and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Vice President JD Vance and ex-U.S. President Joe Biden. Media figure Bill Kristol, director of Defending Democracy Together, suggested the survey means Americans "haven't entirely lost our minds."
