North Korea–Russia Military Ties: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Pyongyang is preparing a troop surge of up to 50,000 personnel to Russia, warning the alliance is giving North Korean forces real modern-warfare experience and pushing Seoul to rethink its security posture. Ballistic Missile Activity: North Korea fired another ballistic missile from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea, flying over 700 km as South Korea and the US prepare Ulchi Freedom Shield drills—another signal of capability-building and political messaging. Air Defense Transparency: Ukraine’s Air Force stopped publishing exact daily counts of Russian ballistic missiles intercepted, citing security and communications concerns after criticism that it was not downing any ballistic missiles. Cybersecurity (Lazarus): Check Point reports North Korea’s Lazarus Group is using a Windows zero-day in “Operation Dream Job,” targeting defense and aerospace professionals with fake job offers and a newly patched flaw (CVE-2026-68820) to gain full control and deploy backdoors. Space Tech: Japan and US startup Array Labs are pushing space-based radar tech (AMTI) to track stealthy aircraft across the Asia-Pacific, with interest from other countries including China. Defense Hardware: South Korea plans major K2 Black Panther upgrades—active protection plus electronic jammers and remote weapons—to counter drone and anti-tank threats tied to the evolving battlefield.