Kim Jong-un has donned a black leather jacket and test-fired a newly developed sniper rifle during an inspection of special forces troops.

Images released by state media show the North Korean leader peering through the scope of a sniper rifle that the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said was going to be “newly supplied to special operation units”.

Such units are among the thousands of troops that South Korea’s spy agency has said Pyongyang is deploying to Russia to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

During the special operations unit visit, Kim said the “actual war capability for guaranteeing victory in the war field is bolstered up through intensive training”, the KCNA reported.

He added that their training is “the most vivid expression of patriotism and loyalty to the country”, according to the agency.