A Russian terror attack on 17 June was the largest of the full-scale war, says military expert Ivan Kyrychevskyi. Russia deliberately targeted residential buildings with missiles with cluster munitions to kill as many civilians as possible, Espreso reports.
The strike came just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin personally called US President Donald Trump to congratulate him on his birthday, and also following Trump’s statements that the war would not have started if Russia ha
A Russian terror attack on 17 June was the largest of the full-scale war, says military expert Ivan Kyrychevskyi. Russia deliberately targeted residential buildings with missiles with cluster munitions to kill as many civilians as possible, Espreso reports.
The strike came just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin personally called US President Donald Trump to congratulate him on his birthday, and also following Trump’s statements that the war would not have started if Russia hadn’t been excluded from the G8. Ukraine says Putin ordered the attack to portray the leaders of the G7 as weak. He is demonstrating contempt for international peace efforts, above all, those led by the US.
“Before 17 June, the maximum was 200–300 aerial weapons launched at once. This time, the Russians used nearly 500, most of them kamikaze drones,” Kyrychevskyi explains.
The UN has also noted that this attack on Kyiv may be the deadliest in nearly a year. The main impact hit densely populated neighborhoods, not military targets.
“X-101 missiles with cluster warheads can’t break through fortifications, but they kill people. That’s why they were used deliberately against civilians,” Kyrychevskyi says.
No one believes anymore that the strikes on Ukrainian hospitals and children’s centers are a “mistake.” After the attack on Kyiv’s Ohmatdyt children’s hospital in 2024, Western governments have stopped buying into the narrative of “accidental strikes,” adds the expert.
Russia began its full-scale terror campaign against the Ukrainian civilian population in 2022, burning 90% of Mariupol and Bakhmut and committing atrocities during the attacks on Bucha in Kyiv Oblast.
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Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful regional ally, has signaled privately that it does not intend to attack Israel, but Lebanon’s military has bolstered its presence in the country’s south to prevent rocket fire.
Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful regional ally, has signaled privately that it does not intend to attack Israel, but Lebanon’s military has bolstered its presence in the country’s south to prevent rocket fire.
North Korea has decided to send at least 6,000 more of its military personnel to Russia, with the stated purpose of helping restore infrastructure in Kursk Oblast, according to Russian officials. Earlier reports indicated that more than half of an initial 11,000-strong North Korean contingent had been lost during combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the same area.
Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea became Moscow’s primary supplier of artillery ammunition. Addition
North Korea has decided to send at least 6,000 more of its military personnel to Russia, with the stated purpose of helping restore infrastructure in Kursk Oblast, according to Russian officials. Earlier reports indicated that more than half of an initial 11,000-strong North Korean contingent had been lost during combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the same area.
Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea became Moscow’s primary supplier of artillery ammunition. Additionally, Pyongyang supplies Russia with artillery systems and ballistic missiles. Moreover, North Korea sent thousands of troops to fight alongside Russians against Ukraine.
Deployment plans confirmed by Shoigu
Sergey Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, announced the move following a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Interfax Russia reports that Shoigu specified the alleged composition of the incoming forces:
“Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong Un has decided to send one thousand sappers to Russia for demining operations, as well as five thousand military builders for restoring damaged infrastructure.”
Shoigu stated that the deployment followed negotiations aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries and enhancing North Korea’s support in rebuilding Kursk Oblast.
Shoigu also revealed plans to honor Korean People’s Army (KPA) soldiers who, according to Russian authorities, participated in military actions to “liberate Russian territory.”
“Our leaders decided to immortalize the heroism of Korean People’s Army soldiers who took part in combat operations,” he said.
As part of this initiative, new memorials will be constructed in both Russia and North Korea.
Shoigu’s visit to North Korea, carried out on 17 June by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, marks his second trip to Pyongyang in recent weeks. The previous visit occurred on 4 June, during which Shoigu and Kim Jong Un discussed Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, bilateral cooperation, and specific elements of their newly ratified strategic partnership.
More than half of Pyongyang forces in Kursk lost earlier
The British Defense Ministry stated earlier that over 6,000 troops from the Korean People’s Army were lost during offensive operations against Ukrainian forces in the area. The total KPA presence initially amounted to approximately 11,000 troops, making the losses exceed 50%.
Last June, Russia and North Korea signed a Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Pyongyang.
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Officials drastically understated outbreaks and deaths, depriving citizens of help, two U.S. research groups report, citing interviews with people inside North Korea.
Officials drastically understated outbreaks and deaths, depriving citizens of help, two U.S. research groups report, citing interviews with people inside North Korea.
A photograph released by North Korean state media showed a worker disinfecting a vehicle while a civilian had his temperature checked as a precaution against the coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea, in 2020.
Editor's note: This item has been updated to include additional details. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang on June 17 on a "special assignment" from President Vladimir Putin, Russian state-controlled news agency TASS reported on June 17.Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit, TASS reported, citing a correspondent on the ground. The purpose of the visit has not been officially disclosed, but it occurs amid intensifying military cooper
Editor's note: This item has been updated to include additional details.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang on June 17 on a "special assignment" from President Vladimir Putin, Russian state-controlled news agency TASS reported on June 17.
Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit, TASS reported, citing a correspondent on the ground. The purpose of the visit has not been officially disclosed, but it occurs amid intensifying military cooperation between the two nations.
After the meeting with Kim, Shoigu announced that North Korea had decided to send 1,000 sappers and 5,000 military builders to rebuild Russia's Kursk Oblast, according to TASS.
Ukraine initially captured 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory during a cross-border operation that began in August 2024. Since then, Ukraine has lost most of the territory after Moscow launched a counteroffensive in March, which was supported by Pyongyang's military.
According to a June 15 report from the United Kingdom's defense intelligence, over 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded during operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
According to TASS, Shoigu also discussed in Pyongyang the creation of memorials in Russia and North Korea in memory of Korean soldiers who died fighting in the Kursk Oblast.
North Korea has emerged as one of Russia's closest military partners during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since late 2023, Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with millions of artillery shells, at least 100 ballistic missiles, and reportedly deployed more than 11,000 troops to assist Russian operations in Ukraine’s border regions.
The U.K. said Pyongyang's losses account for more than half of the North Korean contingent deployed to the region in fall 2024. British officials attributed the high casualties to highly attritional ground assaults.
Earlier this year, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea sent an additional 3,000 soldiers to Russia in January and February to replenish losses.
In June 2024, Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense pact obligating both countries to provide military assistance in the event of an external attack. Though North Korea only publicly acknowledged its participation in Russia's war against Ukraine in April 2025, open-source reports and intelligence assessments have indicated its involvement since at least the fall of 2024.
The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), a United Nations-affiliated watchdog, reported in May that North Korea and Russia had engaged in "unlawful military cooperation" in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. This included arms transfers, deployment of combat troops, petroleum exports to North Korea exceeding UN caps, and mutual military training.
According to MSMT findings, Russian-flagged vessels delivered up to 9 million rounds of artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition from North Korea to southwestern Russia in 2024 alone. These weapons were subsequently used in attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian targets in cities including Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia has also reportedly provided advanced military technology to North Korea, including ballistic missile guidance systems, electronic warfare platforms, and short-range air defense systems. One MSMT participating state confirmed the transfer of at least one Pantsir-class vehicle to Pyongyang.
Kim Jong Un described his country's involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine as a "sacred mission" during a public address in May.
Shoigu's visit to North Korea comes amid intensified Russian aerial attacks across Ukraine, including the use of North Korean-made ballistic missiles containing components sourced from third-party suppliers.
Photos showing the stark physical transformation of a Ukrainian soldier after three years in Russian captivity have been circulating online, documenting the inhumane conditions faced by Ukrainian prisoners of war.
According to the UN, Amnesty International, and other human rights organizations, Ukrainian POWs held in Russian captivity have been subjected to systematic and widespread torture, including beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, prolonged stress positions, and sexual violence
Photos showing the stark physical transformation of a Ukrainian soldier after three years in Russian captivity have been circulating online, documenting the inhumane conditions faced by Ukrainian prisoners of war.
According to the UN, Amnesty International, and other human rights organizations, Ukrainian POWs held in Russian captivity have been subjected to systematic and widespread torture, including beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, prolonged stress positions, and sexual violence. They are malnourished and in most cases denied medical care. These abuses often occur in isolation, with victims cut off from the outside world and at the mercy of their captors.
The comparative images of Oleksandr Strafun, a reserve officer who defended Mariupol, were published by volunteer Olena Zolotariova from the NGO “Power of People.” The photos show Oleksandr with his wife Olena before and after his captivity period. Both of them consented to have their photos appear online. This is how Russia’s full-scale aggression that began in February 2022 changed their lives forever.
This is what three years in Russian captivity have done to a Ukrainian soldier.
Oleksandr, a reserve officer who defended Mariupol, is seen on these photos with his wife Olena before and after he was captured by the Russians in spring 2022.
Oleksandr and Olena had lived for each other before the full-scale war. Though he had not participated in the fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014 and worked at the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works, he felt compelled to serve when Russia invaded explicitly.
On 21 February 2022, Oleksandr contacted military recruitment offices to offer assistance. “He always knew that if something suddenly started, he had no right to stay home,” Olena recalled, according to her interview with 0629 news outlet about Mariupol. When he suggested she evacuate, she refused, citing her two cats and the need to help his parents.
Oleksandr enlisted in territorial defense forces on 25 February, finding the recruitment office nearly empty except for a guard directing volunteers to territorial defense units. The following morning, 26 February, he called from territorial defense headquarters with news that would define their separation:
“He said he wouldn’t return home anymore. I asked, when should I expect you? And he answered: ‘I’ll return after victory.'”
Oleksandr and Olena lived in Mariupol before the full-scale invasion started in 2022. Photo: 0629
Their final direct communication occurred on 1 March 2022, when Oleksandr requested personal items including soap and socks. Olena was unable to deliver these supplies before contact ceased entirely.
During the siege, Olena remained in blockaded Mariupol despite knowing about the garrison’s order to surrender and the final stand of Ukrainian soldiers at Azovstal. She suspected Oleksandr might not answer calls from unfamiliar numbers, while her own phone had been stolen by Kadyrov forces.
After reaching safety, Olena connected with families of other prisoners through support networks. Through these contacts, she learned Oleksandr had been seen at the notorious Olenivka detention facility in occupied Donetsk Oblast and managed to pass along her new phone number through another prisoner’s wife.
On the night of 29 July 2022, an explosion struck a barracks at the Olenivka prison colony, killing about 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), mostly defenders of Mariupol including members of the Azov Regiment, and injuring over 70 others.
Both Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for the attack: Russia claimed Ukraine used a HIMARS missile to strike the prison, while Ukraine accused Russian forces of deliberately shelling the facility to cover up torture and executions of POWs.
The day before the documented attack, Oleksandr called Olena and described unusual activity at the facility.
“He said something strange was happening in the colony, some constant movements. Some people were being taken away, others relocated. He thought, maybe this is already an exchange?” Olena recounted.
She went to sleep hopeful but woke up to the news of the explosion and casualties, not knowing if her husband remained alive. Oleksandr survived because he had been transferred to another facility prior to the incident.
He managed to call her, promising an exchange was coming and telling her to wait. That conversation marked the beginning of an extended silence lasting for years.
In 2025, Oleksandr was returned home to Ukraine in one of the prisoner exchanges that resulted from Istanbul peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, that, however, failed to reach a ceasefire agreement.
All released soldiers undergo rehabilitation, including urgent medical care and psychological support. Ukrainian authorities also provide financial compensation for their time in captivity, as part of the reintegration process after often prolonged and brutal detention in Russia.
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More than 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed, wounded, or gone missing while fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, according to a new report from UK intelligence.
The British Ministry of Defence, in its 15 June intelligence update, states that around half of the estimated 11,000 North Korean troops deployed to the area have become casualties.
A costly campaign tied to Ukraine’s cross-border offensive
In August 2024, Ukraine launched a rare cross-border
More than 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed, wounded, or gone missing while fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, according to a new report from UK intelligence.
The British Ministry of Defence, in its 15 June intelligence update, states that around half of the estimated 11,000 North Korean troops deployed to the area have become casualties.
A costly campaign tied to Ukraine’s cross-border offensive
In August 2024, Ukraine launched a rare cross-border operation into Kursk, briefly capturing territory and forcing Russia to redeploy troops. While initially successful, the campaign was eventually reversed. By March 2025, Ukrainian forces had withdrawn, ending the offensive without holding ground. However, Kyiv claims the operation disrupted Russian logistics and diverted enemy forces from other fronts.
High casualty rates from brutal ground combat
“Significant DPRK casualty rates have almost certainly been sustained primarily through large, highly attritional dismounted assaults,” the report said, pointing to intense and costly infantry engagements on the ground.
UK intelligence analysts believe these tactics are leading to unsustainable losses for North Korean units involved in front-line fighting.
North Korean POW Ri who had been fighting against Ukraine. Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Shoigu holds talks with Kim Jong-un
On 4 June, Russia’s Security Council Secretary and former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea for the second time in three months. He met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, signaling deepening military coordination between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Shoigu is believed to be the Kremlin’s lead negotiator managing North Korea’s military support for Russia’s war effort against Ukraine.
North Korean involvement confined to Kursk—for now
As of mid-June, North Korea’s military activity remains limited to the Kursk direction. According to UK intelligence, any expansion beyond Russian borders—particularly into internationally recognized Ukrainian territory—would almost certainly require joint authorization from both Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.
Casualty estimates reflect rising toll
In April, a South Korean lawmaker citing intelligence sources reported that about 600 North Koreans had died in the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in January, estimated that 4,000 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded.
Later, on 25 April, Ukraine’s General Staff announced that more than 4,500 North Korean troops had been neutralized since the launch of the Kursk offensive.
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The president said he would bring a quick end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and get China to bend on trade and Iran on its nuclear program. Instead, conflict is escalating.
The president said he would bring a quick end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and get China to bend on trade and Iran on its nuclear program. Instead, conflict is escalating.
Spectators look at a building damaged in an Israeli strike in Tehran on Thursday. A day after Israel began the massive attack on Iran, Mr. Trump’s peace projects are in tatters.
The president said he would bring a quick end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and get China to bend on trade and Iran on its nuclear program. Instead, conflict is escalating.
The president said he would bring a quick end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and get China to bend on trade and Iran on its nuclear program. Instead, conflict is escalating.
Spectators look at a building damaged in an Israeli strike in Tehran on Thursday. A day after Israel began the massive attack on Iran, Mr. Trump’s peace projects are in tatters.
Lee Jae-myung, the new president of South Korea, said he would stop the propaganda broadcasts by his predecessor that raised tensions with Seoul’s neighboring foe.
Lee Jae-myung, the new president of South Korea, said he would stop the propaganda broadcasts by his predecessor that raised tensions with Seoul’s neighboring foe.
Loudspeakers near the border with North Korea. The rival Korean governments have switched loudspeakers on and off as political tensions rose and fell for decades.
The nuclear energy agency noted the construction of a site similar to current plants, as Kim Jong-un has been pushing to produce more fuel for nuclear bombs.
The nuclear energy agency noted the construction of a site similar to current plants, as Kim Jong-un has been pushing to produce more fuel for nuclear bombs.
Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the center was “monitoring” the progress of a new building in North Korea that has similar features to a current uranium-enrichment plant.
The Education Department’s headquarters in Washington. President Trump signed an executive order on March 20 that instructed the head of the department, Linda McMahon, to begin shutting it down.
ASML, the Dutch company that makes multimillion-dollar tools to manufacture advanced semiconductors, is grappling with the repercussions of a tech trade war.
ASML, the Dutch company that makes multimillion-dollar tools to manufacture advanced semiconductors, is grappling with the repercussions of a tech trade war.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared “unconditional support” for Russia’s war against Ukraine during a meeting with top Russian official Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, according to North Korean state media on 5 June.
Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea has been supplying a substantial quantity of conventional weapons and troops to Russia, according to South Korean, US, and allied officials. In return, they believe Russia has been providing both economic and military assist
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared “unconditional support” for Russia’s war against Ukraine during a meeting with top Russian official Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, according to North Korean state media on 5 June.
Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea has been supplying a substantial quantity of conventional weapons and troops to Russia, according to South Korean, US, and allied officials. In return, they believe Russia has been providing both economic and military assistance to Pyongyang. These countries have voiced concerns that Moscow may also transfer advanced technologies that could help North Korea improve its nuclear weapons capabilities, especially those targeting its regional adversaries.
AP reports that Kim met with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on 4 June. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim told Shoigu that North Korea would “unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue.” The visit marks an intensification of cooperation between the two countries.
KCNA added that the two officials discussed how to solidify the strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia, reaching a consensus on the Ukraine issue and other unspecified international situations. No further details were provided by the North Korean outlet.
In April 2025, North Korea and Russia officially confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia for the first time. The confirmation stated that North Korean and Russian soldiers were fighting side by side against what they described as a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Though neither Russia nor North Korea has released troop counts, intelligence from the US, South Korea, and Ukraine has previously stated that North Korea sent between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to Russia last fall. South Korean authorities recently added that another 3,000 troops were dispatched earlier this year.
Russia’s state-run Tass news agency, citing the Russian Security Council’s press service, reported that Shoigu and Kim also discussed the reconstruction of Kursk Oblast and agreed on steps to honor the contributions of North Korean soldiers involved in the fighting there.
Despite Russia’s April 2025 claim of full control over Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Saturday that Ukrainian forces still hold ground there.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his country's full support for Russia's war against Ukraine during a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on June 5.Kim reportedly told Shoigu that North Korea "unconditionally supports the stand of Russia and its foreign policies." He also emphasized Pyongyang's continued commitment to the 2024 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed with Moscow.That treaty
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his country's full support for Russia's war against Ukraine during a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on June 5.
Kim reportedly told Shoigu that North Korea "unconditionally supports the stand of Russia and its foreign policies." He also emphasized Pyongyang's continued commitment to the 2024 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed with Moscow.
That treaty, signed by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 19, 2024, commits both countries to provide assistance if either is attacked. Kim previously described the pact as having a “peaceful and defensive nature,” framing it as a formal security guarantee between the longtime partners.
Shoigu, on his second visit to Pyongyang since being appointed secretary of the Russian Security Council, reportedly discussed battlefield developments in Russia's Kursk Oblast, including the role of North Korean soldiers deployed in the region.
According to the Russian Security Council's official readout, the two sides discussed "perpetuating the memory of the feat of Korean soldiers."
Officials estimate that up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's Kursk Oblast since last fall to counter Ukraine's cross-border incursion launched in August 2024.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously reported that North Korean forces fighting for Russia had suffered 4,000 casualties, with two-thirds of the losses being soldiers killed.
Shoigu, who served as Russia's defense minister until his dismissal in May 2024, now oversees national security matters as secretary of the Russian Security Council.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Shoigu on June 25, 2024, for his role in leading Russia's war effort.
Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister and former UN representative Serhii Kyslytsia publicly criticized the United Nations General Assembly’s recent decision to establish an International Day of the Horse, questioning the organization’s priorities amid global challenges.
Meanwhile, Russia remains a member of the United Nations and continues to hold its seat as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, with veto power. Russia’s permanent membership means it participates
Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister and former UN representative Serhii Kyslytsia publicly criticized the United Nations General Assembly’s recent decision to establish an International Day of the Horse, questioning the organization’s priorities amid global challenges.
Meanwhile, Russia remains a member of the United Nations and continues to hold its seat as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, with veto power. Russia’s permanent membership means it participates fully in Security Council decisions and can block resolutions, including those condemning its aggression in Ukraine. The lack of decisive action has led many Ukrainians to view the UN as an institution that issues statements of “deep concern” but fails to enforce its own principles or ensure accountability.
According to Kyslytsia, who posted his criticism on social media platform X, the UN’s focus on such initiatives demonstrates a disconnect from pressing international issues.
He referenced Ukrainian author Mykhailo Kotsyubynsky’s literary work “Horses are not to blame,” noting that the phrase represents “hypocritical unwillingness to see the real culprits, to remove blame from the guilty.”
The Ukrainian diplomat drew a sharp contrast between the horse initiative and the resistance Ukraine faced when attempting to establish a Day against Disinformation over several years, with the UN officials claiming there were already enough such commemorative days.
“I recall what resistance the Ukrainian delegation faced when it tried for several years to advance the initiative to establish a Day against Disinformation,” Kyslytsia stated.
«Коні не винні» (М. Коцюбинський (1912). Цей вислів про коней насправді про лицемірне небажання бачити дійсних винуватців, знімати вину з винних: « – Ніякої вини, – рішуче перебила Катерина. – Ні твоєї, ні моєї. – «Коні не винні»..,— усміхнувся Максим.»
— Sergiy Kyslytsya (@SergiyKyslytsya) June 4, 2025
Despite this previous opposition, Kyslytsia noted that “an endless stream of flora and fauna days rushes through the thickets,” suggesting the UN continues to approve nature-related observances while rejecting what Ukraine considers more urgent initiatives as the country fights Russia on the front line and in the information space.
The resolution for the International Day of Horses was proposed by Mongolia. Kyslytsia pointed to what he characterized as inconsistency in Mongolia’s international legal obligations, noting that the country failed to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during his September 2024 visit, despite having ratified the Rome Statute which would have required such action.
While Mongolia has not actively supported Russia’s full-scale invasion, it has also refrained from condemning Russia at the United Nations, reflecting a policy of neutrality in the conflict. The country imports 95% of its petroleum products and over 20% of its electricity from Russia, making it heavily dependent on its northern neighbor for energy.
Mongolia is also geographically sandwiched between Russia and China and has close historical and economic ties with Russia, including a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
In response to the horse day resolution, Kyslytsia announced he would recommend that Foreign Ministry departments handling UN affairs “clarify our approaches to supporting similar initiatives in the future.” He expressed concern about reinforcing the UN’s image as an “organization irrelevant to its primary mandate.” Only the US voted against the horse resolution.
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Kim Jong-un seized on Russia’s need for support in its war against Ukraine. His reward is a rapidly modernizing military that threatens the delicate balance of power on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Jong-un seized on Russia’s need for support in its war against Ukraine. His reward is a rapidly modernizing military that threatens the delicate balance of power on the Korean Peninsula.
A photograph released by North Korean state media in May showing Korean People’s Army tanks during a training competition at an undisclosed location in North Korea.
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