The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation arrived in the DPRK

Russian Defense Minister Andriy Belousov arrived in the DPRK on November 29 for meetings with the military and political leadership, the Russian Military Department reported. At the Pyongyang airport, the Russian delegation was met by representatives of the Korean People’s Army and North Korean Defense Minister Noh Gwangchol. The Russian Ministry did not provide other details of the visit.

In June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea. During Putin’s visit, the DPRK and Russia signed an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership. It was ratified by the State Duma of the Russian Federation in October, and by the North Korean side in November. Among other things, this treaty provides for the creation of a military alliance between the two countries.

At the end of October, Western media reported that North Korea had sent military personnel to Russia to participate in hostilities against Ukraine. According to Ukraine and Western countries, more than 10,000 North Korean troops have arrived in the Kursk region; at the beginning of November, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, reported that they had suffered their first losses. Moscow and Pyongyang did not confirm the direct participation of the North Korean military in the fighting.

Serhiy Shoigu, who held the position of Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation before Belousov, also paid a visit to the DPRK. He attended an arms exhibition, and the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, showed him North Korean ballistic missiles and new domestically developed drones.