North Korea supplying arms to Russian mercenary Wagner Group, US says

The U.S. is solidifying a defense package to Ukraine, which would help assist Ukraine with shooting down Russian drone strikes on civilian targets. North Korea is supplying arms to a Russian mercenary group and could continue to deliver military equipment to support the Kremlin's war against Ukraine, the Biden administration said Thursday. The White House said the weapons "will not change battlefield dynamics," however, the private entity receiving the equipment, Wagner Group, is committing atrocities and human rights abuses across Ukraine. "Because the Russian military is struggling in Ukraine, President [Vladimir] Putin has increasingly been turning to Wagner, which is owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, for military support," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. Kirby said Prigozhin has been spending more than $100 million per month to fund Wagner's efforts inside Ukraine.