Kim Jong-un on visit to Russia's Far East

North Korean leader's visits to military and technology sites this week possibly hintatwhat he wants from Russia

N orth Korea's Kim Jong Un inspects Russian bombers and a warship on a visit to Russia's Far East Shoigu and Lt. Gen. Sergei Kobylash, the commander of the Russian long-range bomber force, explained to Kim that the Tu160 had recently received new cruise missiles with a range of more than 6,500 kilometers (over 4,040 miles).

Pointing at the weapons bay, Shoigu said that each bomber carries 12 missiles.

Russian officials have previously said that the new missile was under development, and the latest comments confirmed its deployment for the first time.

Shoigu, who had met Kim during a rare visit to North Korea in July, also showed Kim another of Russia's latest missiles, the hypersonic Kinzhal, carried by the MiG31 fighter jet, that saw its first combat during the war in Ukraine, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.

Kim and Shoigu later traveled to Vladivostok, where they inspected the Admiral Shaposhnikov frigate. Russia's navy commander, Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov, briefed Kim on the ship's capabilities and weapons, which include longrange Kalibr cruise missiles that Russian warships have regularly fired at targets in Ukraine.

Kim's visits to military and technology sites this week possibly hint at what he wants from Russia, perhaps in exchange for supplying munitions to refill Putin's declining reserves as his invasion of Ukraine becomes a drawn-out war of attrition.

Kim's trip to Russia, which included more than four hours of talks with Putin on Wednesday, comes amid momentum in military cooperation between the countries in which North Korea could potentially seek Russian technologies to advance Kim's nuclear, missile and other military programs in exchange for providing Russia with badly needed munitions.