Probably talking about a drum...and they must have found some corner of the internet that claimed to sell them for $25.
An honest journalist would have actually purchased one, as proof.....but they’re not honest, are they.
At 600 rds. you’d need a belt fed weapon, a shooter and a feeder. As far as I know there aren’t even any standard AKs that are belt fed. That, of course, doesn’t rule out the Russians using the basic AK mechanism for a crew served weapon.
You give them WAY TOO MUCH credit. They just make this stuff up out of whole cloth and then refuse to admit it. They know that no other media outlet will take them to task for it. In fact, NPR will likely use the TIME article as a source for their reporting.