Missile Pressure Ahead of Drills: North Korea fired a second ballistic missile in less than a week, launching from the Wonsan area and flying over 700 km toward the East Sea/Japan-side waters, as South Korea and the U.S. prepare for Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises starting Aug. 17; Seoul and Tokyo condemned the move and called it a provocation. Nuclear Submarine Warning: Pyongyang escalated its rhetoric against South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine plan, warning it would trigger “nuclear dominoes” and promising “unparalleled” retaliatory capability. Ukraine War Link: Zelenskyy and others say Russia is using North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles in attacks on Ukraine, while analysis suggests Pyongyang is also gaining longer-term military know-how from the conflict. Energy Deal With Sanctions Risk: North Korea and Russia agreed to cooperate on energy and economic projects in Moscow, including a new refinery in North Korea and fuel support—details described as violating UN sanctions rules. Cyber Escalation: Lazarus-linked activity continues to target defense and aerospace firms, including a Windows zero-day chain tied to the exploited afd.sys driver; Microsoft’s latest Patch Tuesday fixes the actively used flaw. Domestic Crackdown: North Korea is cracking down on private hairdressers and barbers in South Hamgyong, pushing services back toward state-run facilities.