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Inside Kim Jong Un's armored train: "A sweet home"

By Emmet Lyons

September 12, 2023 / 10:37 AM EDT / CBS News

Images on Russia and North Korean state media outlets showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveling to Russia for a highly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin by armored train — a method of travel that has been used by the reclusive Kim dynasty for decades. 

Still photos released by Korean Central News Agency — the North Korean state media outlet — capture the 39-year-old dictator standing aboard a dark green train at a train station in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, before his armored train left for Russia. The leader was also pictured waving to crowds carrying flowers and saluting a military guard before departing. 

Footage released on Tuesday by Russia news agencies showed the slow-moving train in transit and crossing the border into Russia. Russian state television also released footage of the North Korean leader disembarking from his train in Russia and being welcomed by local Russian officials. 

Since taking power in 2011, Kim Jong Un has made 10 foreign trips in total to five countries and has traveled by train on several of those occasions, Reuters reported, including to Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, for a summit with then U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019. 

In April 2019, Kim also traveled by train to the Russian port city of Vladivostok to meet Putin for the first time — the last encounter between the two men until now. 

"If he rides a train, he can command the entire country from anywhere, receive all faxes and emails, and access all reports because all communication facilities are available. So, for Kim Jong Un, it can feel as comfortable as his home," former North Korean official Ko Young Hwan told Reuters news agency on Tuesday. 

Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korea transportation, told Reuters that the armored trains that have carried the North's leaders over the years have about 10 to 15 carriages each, some of which are exclusively reserved for Kim Jong Un, such as a private bedroom, while other carriages carry key members of the leader's entourage like security guards.

The luxurious train reportedly only moves at up to 25 miles per hour due to the dilapidated rail infrastructure in the communist state. Previous footage captured of Kim Jong Un displayed pink couches and a carriage equipped with an office with a desk and chair, and a map of China and the Korean peninsula on the wall behind it.

The green train with yellow striping that Kim Jong Un was pictured boarding to Russia is the same design as the train that the dictator's late father Kim Jong Il appeared to use to visit Russia in 2001, according to Reuters.  

Russian military commander Konstantin Pulikovsky, who spent time aboard the train alongside Kim Jong Il during the visit to Russia in 2001, recalled it "being possible to order any dish of Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and French cuisine."

In his memoir, Pulikovsky said that live lobsters were transported to the train to ensure the availability of fresh seafood, while cases of red wine from Bordeaux and Burgundy were imported in from Paris, according to CBS News partners at the BBC. 

Even Vladimir Putin's private train "did not have the comfort of Kim Jong Il's train," he said.

Kim Jong Il's train was also described as having "conference rooms, an audience chamber and bedrooms. Satellite phone connections and flat screen TVs have been installed so that the North Korean leader can be briefed and issue orders," according to a report by the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo in 2009. 

Kim Jong Un's father travelled by train for each of the three occasions that he visited Russia, Reuters reported. 

The train was described by North Korean state media as  "a sweet home and an office" for Kim Jong Il. He died while on board the train of a reported heart attack in late 2011. 

One of the train's carriages is on permanent display in the mausoleum on the outskirts of Pyongyang where Kim Jong Il's body lies in state. 

North Korea's original "Dear Leader," Kim Il Sung — the current leader's grandfather — took international trips by train regularly during his rule during his tenure until he died in 1994, Reuters reported.  He reportedly completed a marathon trip to Eastern Europe via Moscow by train in 1984. 

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Kim Jong-un and Putin Plan to Meet in Russia to Discuss Weapons

Russia seeks more weaponry for its war in Ukraine, and a North Korean delegation recently traveled to Russia by train to plan for Mr. Kim’s visit this month, officials say.

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By Edward Wong and Julian E. Barnes

Reporting from Washington

Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, plans to travel to Russia this month to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin to discuss the possibility of supplying Russia with more weaponry for its war in Ukraine and other military cooperation, according to American and allied officials.

In a rare foray from his country, Mr. Kim would travel from Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, probably by armored train, to Vladivostok, on the Pacific Coast of Russia, where he would meet with Mr. Putin, the officials said.

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Mr. Putin wants Mr. Kim to agree to send Russia artillery shells and antitank missiles, and Mr. Kim would like Russia to provide North Korea with advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, the officials said. Mr. Kim is also seeking food aid for his impoverished nation.

Both leaders would be on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok to attend the Eastern Economic Forum , which is scheduled to run Sept. 10 to 13, according to the officials. Mr. Kim also plans to visit Pier 33 , where naval ships from Russia’s Pacific fleet dock, they said. North Korea celebrates the anniversary of its founding on Sept. 9.

On Wednesday, the White House warned that Mr. Putin and Mr. Kim had exchanged letters discussing a possible arms deal, citing declassified intelligence. A White House spokesman, John F. Kirby, said high-level talks on military cooperation between the two nations were “actively advancing.” U.S. officials declined to give more details on the state of personal ties between the leaders, who are considered adversaries of the United States.

The new information about a planned meeting between them goes far beyond the previous warning. The intelligence relating to the plans has not been declassified or downgraded by the United States, and the officials describing it were not authorized to discuss it. They declined to provide details on how spy agencies had collected the information.

While the White House declined to discuss the new intelligence, Adrienne Watson, a National Security Council spokeswoman, acknowledged that the United States expected “leader-level diplomatic engagement” on the issue of arms sales to take place between Russia and North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“We urge the D.P.R.K. to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” she said in a statement after this story was published.

At other times since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. officials have released declassified intelligence to try to dissuade North Korea, China and other countries from supplying Russia with weapons. U.S. officials say White House warnings about planned transfers of North Korean artillery shells stopped previous cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

In late August, a delegation of about 20 North Korean officials, including some who oversee security protocols for the leadership, traveled by train from Pyongyang to Vladivostok, and then flew to Moscow, an indication that North Korea was serious about a visit by Mr. Kim. Their trip, believed to be a planning expedition, took about 10 days, according to officials briefed on the intelligence reports.

One potential stop for Mr. Kim after Vladivostok, an official said, is Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space launch center that was the site of a meeting in April 2022 between Mr. Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus and a partner of Mr. Putin’s in the war in Ukraine. The center, whose first rocket launch took place in 2016, is about 950 miles north of Vladivostok. Another possible stop for Mr. Kim is Moscow, the official said.

The idea for the Russia visit came out of a trip by Sergei K. Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, to North Korea in July for Mr. Kim’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of the “victory” over South Korean and U.S. forces in the Korean War, officials said. (In reality, the three-year war halted in 1953 in a stalemate and armistice agreement, and the two Koreas are still officially at war.)

Mr. Kim took Mr. Shoigu to an exhibition of weaponry and military equipment that included ballistic missiles banned by the United Nations.

During the meeting, Mr. Kim presented Mr. Shoigu with options for greater military cooperation and asked for Mr. Putin to visit North Korea, officials said. Mr. Shoigu then made a counterproposal, suggesting that Mr. Kim travel to Russia.

Mr. Shoigu’s visit to North Korea was the first by a Russian defense minister since the fracturing of the Soviet Union in 1991. Mr. Shoigu presented Mr. Kim with a letter from Mr. Putin, according to the Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, the country’s state news service.

The agency did not indicate that Mr. Kim had explicitly mentioned Ukraine in the conversations, but it said that he had “expressed his views on the issues of mutual concern in the struggle to safeguard the sovereignty, development and interests of the two countries from the highhanded and arbitrary practices of the imperialists and to realize international justice and peace.”

Mr. Putin has characterized his war against Ukraine as one of protecting Russian sovereignty, since in his view Ukraine should be part of a restored Russian Empire .

In June, Mr. Kim sent Mr. Putin a message on Russia’s national day in which he pledged to “hold hands” with the Russian leader and promised that the Russian people would have North Korea’s “full support and solidarity” for their “all-out struggle,” according to the KCNA.

“The strengthening of the Russia-North Korea alliance comes at an opportune time for two countries with very few allies and a shared adversary in the United States,” said Jean H. Lee, a recent senior fellow on the Koreas at the Wilson Center. “It’s the resurrection of a traditional alliance that serves the strategic interests of both Putin and Kim.”

A Chinese delegation led by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, also visited North Korea for its celebration, and Mr. Li handed Mr. Kim a letter from Xi Jinping, China’s leader, according to North Korean state media.

Mr. Kim often exchanges affectionate and sometimes downright effusive letters with foreign leaders whom he considers allies or potential partners. He and President Donald J. Trump exchanged a series of letters as they prepared for historic face-to-face summits.

For the second of those summits, held in February 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam , Mr. Kim traveled by armored train for two days from Pyongyang through China and across its tropical border with Vietnam. Mr. Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, both preferred to travel by train outside the country.

Mr. Kim first visited Russia in 2019, when he arrived in Vladivostok on his armored green train to meet with Mr. Putin. As the train pulled slowly into the station, white-gloved North Korean attendants raced alongside it, frantically wiping down any handholds and other surfaces that Mr. Kim might touch as he disembarked.

A beaming Mr. Kim stepped off in a black fedora and long black coat. He was received by an honor guard and brass band. Mr. Kim’s bodyguards jogged next to the black limousine that carried him through the city.

The United States first warned about cooperation between North Korea and Russia a year ago. Officials, citing declassified U.S. intelligence, said that Russia planned to buy artillery shells for use in Ukraine.

In subsequent disclosures, Mr. Kirby said North Korea had shipped munitions to Russia through the Middle East and North Africa .

But U.S. officials said that the disclosures had deterred North Korea and that few if any North Korean weapons had made it to the front lines in Ukraine.

Deterring support for Russia from North Korea, Iran and China is a critical element of the Biden administration’s strategy for helping Ukraine in its defense against Russia.

China, warned by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in February not to provide lethal aid, has supplied dual-use technology and components but has not yet sent drones or heavy weaponry to the Russian military, U.S. officials said.

Iran has supplied drones and is helping Russia build a drone factory. But U.S. officials believe their warnings have helped prod Iran to reconsider plans of providing ballistic missiles to Russia, at least so far.

Edward Wong is a diplomatic correspondent who has reported for The Times for more than 24 years from New York, Baghdad, Beijing and Washington. He was on a team of Pulitzer Prize finalists for Iraq War coverage. More about Edward Wong

Julian E. Barnes is a national security reporter based in Washington, covering the intelligence agencies. Before joining The Times in 2018, he wrote about security matters for The Wall Street Journal. More about Julian E. Barnes

North Korea’s Kim will visit Russia, setting the stage for a meeting with Putin

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia, both countries said Monday, and he is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine .

A brief statement on the Kremlin’s website said Kim’s visit was at Putin’s invitation and would take place “in the coming days.” The visit also was reported by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, which said the leaders would meet without specifying when and where.

“The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un will meet and have a talk with Comrade Putin during the visit,” the news agency said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said delegations from both countries would meet, but he did not confirm plans for a bilateral session between Putin and Kim, saying the leaders would meet one-on-one “if necessary.”

The visit would be Kim’s first foreign trip since the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused North Korea to enforce tight border controls for more than three years to shield its poor healthcare system. While Kim has shown himself to be more comfortable using planes than his famously flight-adverse father, he has also used his personal train for previous meetings with Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and former President Trump, reviving a symbol of his family’s dynastic rule.

Associated Press journalists near the North Korea-Russia frontier saw a green train with yellow trim — similar to the train used by the reclusive Kim during previous foreign trips — at a station on the North Korean side of a border river.

It was unclear whether Kim was on the train, which was seen moving back and forth between the station and the approach to the bridge that connects the countries.

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Citing unidentified South Korean government sources, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that the train likely left the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Sunday evening and that a Kim-Putin meeting was possible as early as Tuesday.

The Yonhap news agency and some other media published similar reports. Japan’s Kyodo news agency cited Russian officials as saying that Kim was possibly heading for Russia on his personal train.

South Korea’s Presidential Office, Defense Ministry and National Intelligence Service didn’t immediately confirm those details.

U.S. officials released intelligence last week that North Korea and Russia were arranging a meeting between their leaders that would take place within this month as they expand their cooperation in the face of deepening confrontations with the United States.

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A possible venue for the meeting is the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, where Putin arrived Monday to attend an international forum that runs through Wednesday, according to Russia’s Tass news agency. The city was also the site of Putin’s first meeting with Kim in 2019.

According to U.S. officials, Putin could focus on securing more supplies of North Korean artillery and other ammunition to refill declining reserves as he seeks to defuse a Ukrainian counteroffensive and show that he’s capable of grinding out a long war of attrition. That could potentially put more pressure on the U.S. and its partners as concerns about an even more protracted conflict grow despite their huge shipments of advanced weaponry to Ukraine over the last 17 months.

North Korea has possibly tens of millions of artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could potentially give a huge boost to the Russian army, analysts say.

In exchange, Kim could seek badly needed energy and food aid and advanced weapons technologies, including those related to intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines and military reconnaissance satellites, analysts say.

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There are concerns that potential Russian technology transfers would increase the threat posed by Kim’s growing arsenal of nuclear weapons and missiles that are designed to target the U.S., South Korea and Japan.

After a complicated, hot-and-cold relationship for decades, Russia and North Korea have been drawing closer to each other since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The bond has been driven by Putin’s need for war help and Kim’s efforts to boost the visibility of his partnerships with traditional allies Moscow and Beijing as he tries to break out of diplomatic isolation and have North Korea be part of a united front against Washington.

While using the distraction caused by the Ukraine conflict to ramp up its weapons development, North Korea has repeatedly blamed the U.S. for the crisis in Ukraine, saying the West’s “hegemonic policy” justified a Russian offensive in Ukraine to protect itself.

North Korea is the only nation apart from Russia and Syria to recognize the independence of two Russia-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, and it has also hinted at an interest in sending construction workers to those areas to help with rebuilding efforts.

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Russia and China have blocked U.S.-led efforts at the United Nations Security Council to strengthen sanctions on North Korea over its intensifying missile tests while accusing Washington of worsening tensions with Pyongyang by expanding military exercises with South Korea and Japan.

The U.S. has accused North Korea since last year of providing Russia with arms, including artillery shells sold to the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Russian and North Korean officials denied such allegations. But speculation about the countries’ military cooperation grew after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to North Korea in July , when Kim invited him to an arms exhibition and a massive military parade in the capital where he showcased ICBMs designed to target the U.S. mainland.

Following Shoigu’s visit, Kim toured North Korea’s weapons factories, including a facility producing artillery systems where he urged workers to speed up the development and large-scale production of new kinds of ammunition. Experts say Kim’s visits to the factories likely had a dual goal of encouraging the modernization of North Korean weaponry and examining artillery and other supplies that could possibly be exported to Russia.

Jon Finer, President Biden’s chief deputy national security advisor, told reporters Sunday that buying weapons from North Korea “may be the best and may be the only option” open to Moscow as it tries to keep its war effort going.

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“We have serious concerns about the prospect of North Korea potentially selling weapons, additional weapons, to the Russian military. It is interesting to reflect for a minute on what it says that when Russia goes around the world looking for partners that can help it, it lands on North Korea,” Finer said aboard a plane carrying Biden from India to Vietnam.

Some analysts say a potential meeting between Kim and Putin would be more about symbolic gains than substantial military cooperation.

Russia — which has always closely guarded its most important weapons technologies, even from key allies such as China — could be unwilling to make major technology transfers with North Korea for what is likely to be limited war supplies transported over a small rail link between the countries, they say.

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Why would North Korea’s Kim and Russia’s Putin want to meet?

Moscow seeking to quash Kyiv counteroffensive while Pyongyang is extending pace of missile testing.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may travel to Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, a US official has said. The possible trip would underscore deepening cooperation as the two isolated leaders are locked in separate confrontations with Washington.

US officials also said that Russia is seeking to buy ammunition from North Korea to refill reserves drained by its war in Ukraine. In return, experts said, North Korea will likely want food and energy shipments and transfers of sophisticated weapons technologies.

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North korean leader kim expected to meet russia’s putin: us, n korea’s kim eyes naval readiness as us, japan, s korea hold sea exercises, us warns n korea against selling weapons to russia for ukraine war.

A meeting with Putin would be Kim’s first summit with a foreign leader since North Korea closed its borders in January 2020. They met for the first time in April 2019, two months after Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with then-US President Donald Trump collapsed.

Here is a look at what Kim’s possible meeting with Putin would mean:

What does Russia want from North Korea?

Since last year, US officials have suspected that North Korea is providing Russia with artillery shells, rockets and other ammunition, many of which are likely copies of Soviet-era munitions.

Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu travelled to Pyongyang in July and asked Kim to send more ammunition to Russia, according to US officials.

“Russia is in urgent need of [war supplies]. If not, how could the defence minister of a powerful country at war come to a small country like North Korea?” Kim Taewoo, former head of Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification, said.

He said Shoigu was the first Russian defence minister to visit North Korea since the 1991 disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Pavel Felgenhauer, a defence and military analyst, told Al Jazeera is in an ideal position to provide Russia with weapons.

“North Korea did not leave the Cold War; it still has that production, and it has ordinance of the same Soviet/Russian calibres copycats, so that can actually provide Russia with things that the Russian military needs on the front line,” Felgenhauer said.

Buying munitions from North Korea would be a violation of UN resolutions, which were supported by Russia, that ban all arms trading with the isolated country. But now that it faces international sanctions and export controls over its war in Ukraine, Russia has been seeking weapons from other sanctioned countries, such as North Korea and Iran.

North Korea has vast stores of munitions , but Cha Du Hyeogn, an analyst at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, doubted whether it could swiftly send significant amounts to Russia because the narrow land link between the countries can handle only a limited amount of rail traffic.

What does Kim want in return?

Kim’s priorities would be aid shipments, prestige and military technology, experts said.

“It would be a ‘win-win’ deal for both, as Putin is cornered over his exhausted weapons inventory while Kim faces pressure from the South Korea-US-Japan trilateral cooperation,” Nam Sung-wook, a former director of the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by South Korea’s spy agency, said. “Their needs are matched perfectly now.”

Pandemic-era border closures have left North Korea with severe economic difficulties, and Kim is likely to seek supplies of food and energy to address shortfalls.

Bong Youngshik, a research fellow at Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies, said a weapons-for-food aid deal was likely if the meeting went ahead.

“The very fact that the summit meeting is required for these countries to finalise the weapons exchange and trade means that there are a lot of details to be ironed out and agreed at the highest levels of government,” Youngshik told Al Jazeera.

“It has been a very difficult negotiation for both sides to strike the deal so the most likely scenario would be Russia to providing food aid and North Korea continuing to be aggressive in contemplating a weapons deal with Russia,” he said.

Kim will likely also trumpet expanding relations with Moscow as a sign that the country is overcoming its years of isolation. North Korean leaders have long valued face-to-face meetings with world leaders as signs of international importance and for domestic propaganda purposes.

Kim is likely also seeking Russian technology to support his plans to build high-tech weapons systems such as powerful long-range missiles, hypersonic ballistic weapons, nuclear-powered submarines and spy satellites, said Hong Min, an analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification.

It’s unclear whether Russia would be willing to provide North Korea with advanced technologies related to nuclear weapons and ICBMs, Cha said. Russia has always tightly guarded its most important weapons technologies, even from key partners like China, he said.

How close could the two countries get?

It’s also unclear how far Kim and Putin’s military cooperation could go, but any sign of warming relations will worry rivals like the US and South Korea.

Russia seeks to quash a Ukrainian counteroffensive and prolong the war, while North Korea is extending a record pace of missile tests to protest US moves to reinforce its military alliances with South Korea and Japan.

Shoigu told reporters Monday that Russia and North Korea were pondering the possibility of bilateral military exercise. Earlier, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers that Shoigu appeared to have proposed a trilateral training exercise involving China.

Either way, it would be the North’s first joint military drills with a foreign country since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The country has avoided training with a foreign military in line with its official “juche”, or “self-reliance”, philosophy.

Felgenhauer, the defence and military analyst, said that it was “possible” that Putin would visit Vladivostok next week for an economic forum and meet the North Korean leader on the sidelines.

“Right now, it seems the relationships between Moscow and Pyongyang are blooming, both sides have things to offer each other, and both sides are under Western pressure and sanctions, so they seem to be natural allies,” he said.

Kim Taewoo, the former institute director, said expanding South Korea-US-Japan security cooperation could prompt Kim Jong Un to break that taboo and hold drills with Russia and China for the first time.

But Nam, who is now a professor at Korea University, said North Korea would not likely accept the offer, as it could leave North Korea even more dependent on China and Russia.

Park Won Gon, a professor at Seoul’s Ewha Womans University, said it was too early to predict what Kim’s diplomacy could yield beyond making a show of defiance towards the United States.

“In any case, North Korea and Russia need to show that they’re working together, that they’re stepping up this cooperation,” Park said. “There clearly are practical areas of cooperation, and also some symbolic aspects they want to show to the United States.”

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Ukraine invasion — explained

The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep. The current conflict is more than one country fighting to take over another; it is — in the words of one U.S. official — a shift in "the world order." Here are some helpful stories to make sense of it all.

North Korean ammo will stretch Russia's supply, but with clear limits and drawbacks

The Associated Press

An image made from a 2017 broadcast by North Korea's KRT shows what was said to be a "Combined Fire Demonstration" in Wonsan, North Korea. North Korea is apparently moving to sell millions of rockets and artillery shells — many of them likely from old stock — to its Cold War ally Russia. Russia has called a U.S. intelligence report on the purchasing plan "fake." KRT via AP Video hide caption

An image made from a 2017 broadcast by North Korea's KRT shows what was said to be a "Combined Fire Demonstration" in Wonsan, North Korea. North Korea is apparently moving to sell millions of rockets and artillery shells — many of them likely from old stock — to its Cold War ally Russia. Russia has called a U.S. intelligence report on the purchasing plan "fake."

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea is apparently moving to sell millions of rockets and artillery shells — many of them likely from its old stock — to its Cold War ally Russia.

Russia has called a U.S. intelligence report on the purchasing plan "fake." But U.S. officials say it shows Russia's desperation with the war in Ukraine and that Moscow could buy additional military hardware from North Korea.

The ammunitions North Korea reportedly intends to sell to Moscow are likely copies of Soviet-era weapons that can fit Russian launchers. But there are still questions over the quality of the supplies and how much they could actually help the Russian military.

What exactly will North Korea supply to Russia?

Slapped by international sanctions and export controls, Russia in August bought Iranian-made drones that U.S. officials said had technical problems. For Russia, North Korea is likely another good option for its ammunitions supply, because the North keeps a significant stockpile of shells, many of them copies of Soviet-era ones.

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North Korea "may represent the single biggest source of compatible legacy artillery ammunition outside of Russia, including domestic production facilities to further supplies," said Joseph Dempsey, research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network in South Korea, said both North and South Korea — split along the world's most heavily fortified border for more than 70 years — keep tens of millions of artillery shells each. North Korea will likely sell older shells that it wants to replace with newer ones for multiple rocket launch systems or sophisticated missiles in its front-line army bases, he said.

North Korea's greater reliance on nuclear weapons and guided missiles may also remove the need for many of its older, unguided artillery shells that once played a prominent role, said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

But Bruce Bennett, a senior security expert at the California-based Rand Corporation, said most of the artillery rounds to be sent to Russia are likely to be ammunition for small arms, such as AK-47 rifles or machine guns.

"It's not millions of artillery shells and rockets — that's more than the likely consumption. It could be millions of small arms rounds," Bennett said.

How good are North Korean weapons?

According to an IISS assessment, North Korea has an estimated 20,000 artillery pieces including multiple rocket launchers in service, a number that Dempsey described as "significantly more than any other country in the world."

North Korea's state media have called its artillery guns "the first arm of the People's Army and the most powerful arm in the world" that can reduce enemy position into "a sea of flames."

But its old artillery systems, whose ammunitions will likely be supplied to Russia, have a reputation for poor accuracy.

During North Korea's artillery bombardment of South Korea's front-line Yeonpyeong Island in 2010 that killed four people, Bennett said that only 80 of the 300-400 weapons North Korea should have fired likely hit their target. In his assessment, Lee said about half of the North Korean shells launched ended up falling into waters before reaching the island.

"That is miserable artillery performance. The Russians may experience the same thing, which will not make them very happy," Bennett said.

Observers doubt the usefulness of North Korean ammunition for the Russian campaign in Ukraine, which they say has depleted the military. There have been photos of barrel-busted Russian guns on social media.

It's unclear how serious Russian shortage of ammunitions is. In July, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters that Russia was launching tens of thousands artillery rounds each day and couldn't keep it up forever.

"While substantial stockpiles likely still exist, they may be increasingly infringing on those reserved for the contingency of a wider future conflict," Dempsey said.

No North Korean missiles expected

It's unlikely for North Korea to provide Russia with ballistic missiles that it views as crucial in its military strategies toward Washington and Seoul, said Yang Uk, an analyst at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

And if North Korea decides to supply missiles to Russia, it would need to send their launch platforms as well because Russia doesn't have launchers for the North's Scuds and other missiles. North Korea has developed a highly maneuverable, nuclear-cable ballistic missile that was likely modeled on Russia's Iskander. But the two missiles are of different sizes, according to Shin Jongwoo, a military expert at the Seoul-based Korea Defense and Security Forum,

There would be a number of items that North Korea could provide to Russia, given that the two countries share weapons systems going back to Soviet times. But the type of ammunitions North Korea would provide to Russia "are likely to be old and somewhere close to expiring," said Moon Seong Mook, an analyst at South Korea's Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.

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South Korea's Yonhap news agency earlier cited Russia's Tass news agency as saying that 97 Russians, including teen ski athletes, departed from Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok on the first group tour to North Korea since the pandemic.

The visit comes after Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin met north of Vladivostok in September and pledged closer economic and military cooperation amid charges by Washington that Pyongyang was helping Putin in the war in Ukraine.

(Reporting by Jack Kim, Editing by William Maclean)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Tags: South Korea , North Korea , Russia , Coronavirus , Europe

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North Korea to welcome Russian tourists in February, the country’s first since the pandemic

FILE - A mother and her daughter take a rest on the slopes at the Masik Pass ski resort in North Korea on Jan. 28, 2018. Russian tourists going on a ski trip will be the first international travelers to visit North Korea since the country’s borders closed in 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown, according to a report on the Russian state-run Tass news agency. (AP Photo/Eric Talmadge, File)

FILE - Passengers board an Air Koryo plane at the Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 27, 2015. Russian tourists going on a ski trip will be the first international travelers to visit North Korea since the country’s borders closed in 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown, according to a report on the Russian state-run Tass news agency. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

FILE - North Koreans are dwarfed against the Ju Che Tower from Kim Il Sung Square on July 21, 2013, downtown Pyongyang, North Korea. Russian tourists going on a ski trip will be the first international travelers to visit North Korea since the country’s borders closed in 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown, according to a report on the Russian state-run Tass news agency. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting at the Vostochny cosmodrome outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, on Sept. 13, 2023. (Vladimir Smirnov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian tourists reportedly going on a ski trip to North Korea will be the first international travelers to visit the country since border closings in January 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown.

The tour, published by the Russian state-run Tass news agency and advertised by a Russian tour agency this week, underscores deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang . It follows the meeting last September between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East.

The trip scheduled for February was a surprise to Asia observers, who had expected the first post-pandemic tourists to North Korea to come from China, the North’s biggest diplomatic ally and economic pipeline.

The webpage of the tour agency, Vostok Intur, says the four-day trip is to start on Feb. 9.

According to a Tass report Wednesday, an unspecified number of tourists from Russia’s far eastern region of Primorye will first fly to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, where they will visit monuments such as the “Tower of Juche Idea,” named after the North’s guiding philosophy of “juche” or self-reliance. The tourists will then travel on to the North’s Masik Pass on the east coast, where the country’s most modern ski resort is located, Tass said.

“In (Masik Pass), you will find yourself in a real paradise for winter sports lovers!” the blurb of the tour agency gushes. “Here you will find incredible slopes with different levels of difficulty that will satisfy the needs of both experienced skiers and beginners.”

Tass said the trip was arranged under an agreement reached between Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Primorye region, and North Korean authorities.

Kozhemyako traveled to Pyongyang in December for talks on boosting economic ties as part of a flurry of bilateral exchanges since the Kim-Putin summit. Ahead of the trip, he told Russian media he expected to discuss tourism, agriculture and trade cooperation.

The expanding ties between North Korea and Russia come as they are locked in separate confrontations with the United States and its allies — North Korea for its advancing nuclear program and Russia for its protracted war with Ukraine. The Kim-Putin summit deepened outside belief that North Korea is supplying conventional arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine , in return for high-tech Russian weapons technologies and other support.

North Korea has been slowly easing pandemic-era curbs and opening its international borders as part of its efforts to revive its economy devastated by the lockdown and persistent U.S.-led sanctions. In August, South Korea’s spy service told lawmakers that North Korea’s economy shrank each year from 2020 to 2022 and that its gross domestic product last year was 12% less than in 2016.

“For North Korea, tourism is the easiest way to earn foreign currency under the international sanctions regime,” said Koh Yu-hwan, former president of Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification. He said he expects Pyongyang to eventually also open North Korea to Chinese tourists.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said that North Korea’s receiving Russian tourists before Chinese ones proves again Kim Jong Un is focusing on bolstering partnerships with Russia. He said North Korea and Russia are expected to expand their cooperation in other sectors.

But the resumption of Chinese travels will still likely serve as a much bigger source of revenues as they accounted for about 90% of the total international tourists to North Korea before the pandemic. In 2019, a record number of about 300,000 foreign tourists visited North Korea, resulting in North Korea earning between $90 million and $150 million, experts say.

“Visitors from Russia are unlikely to be as financially lucrative for North Korea as the return of more numerous visitors from China,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said. “But the domestic political risk is relatively low while providing symbolism of revitalized relations with Moscow in line with Pyongyang’s current geopolitical narrative.”

The package for the upcoming Russian tour costs $750 per person, according to Tass and the tour agency.

It’s still unclear how fast North Korea will expand its international tourism as Kim is tightening control of his 26 million people in the face of economic hardships and security tensions with the United States. North Korea, a country with poor public health infrastructure, likely remains wary of infectious diseases as well, observers say.

Lim said North Korea will likely further open its borders in “a considerably limited and gradual manner.”

“For the Kim regime, international tourists risk ideological pollution as much as they promise economic benefits,” Easley added.

Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Five killed in Russian strike on ‘Harry Potter castle’ in Odesa

LIVE – Updated at 08:59

Five civilians have been killed after a Russian missile attack struck an educational institution in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa.

At least 32 people have been injured, local officials said, including a four-year-old and a pregnant woman.

Regional governor Oleh Kiper said that in addition to those killed in the attack , one man died after suffering a stroke attributed to the strike.

The roof of the grand ornate building, which has been dubbed the ‘Harry Potter castle’, has been all but destroyed in the attack as footage shows flames engulfing the architecture.

“Monsters. Beasts. Savages. Scum. I don’t know what else to say,” Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said in a video posted on Telegram. “People are going for a walk by the sea and they are shooting and killing.”

The attack came after Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg condemned the slow delivery of aid from Ukraine ’s allies in the West and said “serious delays” allowed Russians to advance on the war frontline in the 25-month-old invasion.

Russian missile kills five in Ukraine’s Odesa

• Flames engulf Ukraine’s ‘Harry Potter castle’ after deadly missile attack
• Nato chief derides slow western aid: ‘Serious consequences'
• Kyiv’s troops forced back by intense fighting in east

North Korea criticises US for supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine, KCNA says

Flames engulf ukraine’s ‘harry potter castle’ after deadly russian missile attack.

Flames engulf a Ukraine building, known locally as “Harry Potter castle” after a deadly Russian missile attack on Monday night.

Five people have been killed and another 32 injured after a Russian attack on Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa, local officials say.

The building damaged in the strike is the residence of prominent former MP Serhiy Kivalov, who was among the wounded.

It houses the Odesa Law Academy, which is run by Mr Kivalov.

Footage shows the towers of the famous Kivalov mansion on the waterfront on fire.

Duchess of Edinburgh denounces Putin’s forces for using rape as a weapon of war

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes first royal to visit Ukraine since Russian invasion

The Duchess of Edinburgh has become the first member of the royal family to visit Ukraine since Russia ’s invasion, meeting president Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife in Kyiv.

Sophie, 59, made the surprise visit on behalf of the Foreign Office to show solidarity with those impacted by the war and as part of her work to champion survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

While there, she met with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and survivors of torture who shared their stories, as well as female volunteers who help their communities cope with the aftermath of the attacks with mental health care activities for children.

Sophie becomes first member of royal family to visit Ukraine since war

North Korean missile fragments found in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

Fragments of a North Korean Hwasong 11 ballistic missile were found in Ukraine ’s Kharkiv after it was attacked by the Russian military in early January , according to the UN sanctions monitors.

In a report seen by Reuters, the monitors informed the Security Council that “debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv , Ukraine, on 2 January 2024 derives from DPRK Hwasong 11 series missiles”. DPRK is Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the formal name of North Korea.

The attack killed at least three people and injured 62. The use of North Korean missiles in Ukraine is in violation of the 2006 UN arms embargo on the East Asian country, the report noted.

North Korean missile debris found in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

‘In front of my eyes, a missile was shot down'

A student at the academy who identified herself by her first name, Maria, said the blaze in Odesa on Monday was caused when a missile was intercepted.

“In front of my eyes, a missile was shot down, this was just in front of me. My doors were blown open and the glass was shaking. And then I saw this,” she told Reuters, pointing to the burning building.

“Just before this happened, we wanted to go down there for a walk, but thank God we weren’t there when it happened.”

Ukrainian navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, in a posting on a military Telegram channel, said the strike was conducted by an Iskander-M ballistic missile with a cluster warhead.

Public broadcaster Suspilne said the academy’s president, a prominent former member of parliament, Serhiy Kivalov, was among the injured.

A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in a popular seafront park in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa on Monday killed at least five people and injured 32, local officials said.

Regional governor Oleh Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said that in addition to those killed in the attack, one man died after suffering a stroke attributed to the strike.

Kiper said eight of the injured were in serious condition, including a 4-year-old child. Among the injured were another child and a pregnant woman.

Reuters Television footage showed the roof of the ornate building, a private law academy, all but destroyed after the strike. Firefighters were directing water on small fires still burning.

Pictures posted earlier online showed the building ablaze and smoke billowing skyward.

Video footage, which could not be immediately verified, showed people receiving treatment on the street alongside pools of blood. One photo showed officials examining part of a missile.

Ukraine’s troops hope new US weapons will turn tide as Putin’s forces advance in east

Ukraine’s top military commander has been uncharacteristically open about the fact that some of Kyiv’s troops have been withdrawn from several frontline positions in eastern Ukraine as Russia intensifies its attacks .

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi made the comments as Russian forces have been pressing hard since they captured their biggest prize this year, Avdiivka, north of Donetsk city, eastern Ukraine, in February.

Recently Russian forces have advanced to the town of Novokalynove, north of Avdiivka, and into Keramik, northwest of there. There has also been significant movement around Ocheretyne, and Moscow claimed on Sunday its troops captured Novobakhmutivka, 16km (10 miles) north of Avdiivka and, closer, heavy fighting is reported near Berdychi. On Monday, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed it has taken another village, Semenivka.

Moscow’s push has sought to take advantage of Ukraine running low of vital ammunition and weapons thanks to political infighting in the US Congress that delayed the passing of a $61bn (£48bn) aid package until last week.

Askold Krushelnycky speaks to a Ukrainian colonel in this report:

NATO's chief chides alliance countries for not being quicker to help Ukraine against Russia

NATO countries have failed to deliver in good time what they promised to Ukraine, the alliance’s chief said Monday, as Russia rushes to exploit its battlefield advantages before Kyiv ‘s depleted forces get more Western military supplies in the war that has lasted more than two years.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that “serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield” for Ukraine.

Thirty men died trying to leave Ukraine to avoid mobilisation since war began

About 30 Ukrainian men have died trying to illegally cross Ukraine’s borders and avoid fighting in the war against Russia which started in 2022, an official in Kyiv said.

“Some lost their lives while attempting to cross a mountain river or traverse mountains,” said Andriy Demchenko, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s border service told the Ukrinform news agency.

He added: “Overall, since the full-scale invasion began, about 30 people have died attempting to illegally cross the border.”

Of these, 24 men alone have died while trying to cross the Tisa river on Ukraine’s border with Romania.

Additionally, Ukrainian border guards have uncovered about 450 criminal groups that have attempted to smuggle people across the border since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, Mr Demchenko said.

With some exceptions, Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country as they may be mobilised to fight, according to Ukraine’s martial law.

Ukraine faces worsening situation on eastern front thanks to intense Russian attacks, army chief says

Ukraine’s top commander has said Kyiv ‘s outnumbered troops have fallen back to new positions west of three villages on the eastern front where Russia has concentrated significant forces in several locations.

The statement by Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi reflected Ukraine’s deteriorating position in the east that Kyiv hopes it can stabilise once it takes delivery of U.S. weapons under a $61 billion (£48bn) aid package approved this week.

Ukraine faces worsening situation on eastern front, army chief says

Ukraine’s allies say slow arms deliveries have helped Russia

Nato countries haven’t delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, allowing Russia to press its advantage as Kyiv’s depleted forces waited for military supplies to arrive from US and Europe, the alliance’s chief said yesterday.

“Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield” for Ukraine, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Kyiv with president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Outgunned, Ukraine‘s troops have struggled to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield. They were recently compelled to make a tactical retreat from three villages in the east, where the Kremlin’s forces have been making incremental gains, Ukraine’s army chief said.

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed its forces had also taken the village of Semenivka.

“The lack of ammunition has allowed the Russians to push forward along the front line. Lack of air defense has made it possible for more Russian missiles to hit their targets, and the lack of deep strike capabilities has made it possible for the Russians to concentrate more forces,” Mr Stoltenberg said.

Kyiv’s Western partners have repeatedly vowed to stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”

But vital US military help was held up for six months by political differences in Washington, and Europe’s military hardware production has not kept up with demand. Ukraine‘s own manufacturing of heavy weapons is only now starting to gain traction.

Now, Ukraine and its Western partners are racing to deploy critical new military aid that can help check the slow and costly but steady Russian advance across eastern areas, as well as thwart drone and missile attacks.

Ukraine's farm minister is the latest corruption suspect as Kyiv aims to undo recent Russian gains

A Ukrainian court on Friday ordered the detention of the country’s farm minister in the latest high-profile corruption investigation, while Kyiv security officials assessed how they can recover lost battlefield momentum in the war against Russia.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ruled that Agriculture Minister Oleksandr Solskyi should be held in custody for 60 days, but he was released after paying bail of 75 million hryvnias ($1.77 million), a statement said.

Four killed in Russian missile attack on Odesa

At least four people were killed after a Russian missile attack struck an educational institution in a popular seafront park in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa.

One man also suffered a stroke attributed to the missile attack, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. The injured include a child and a pregnant woman.

Seven of the injured were in serious condition, including a four-year-old child, the official said.

The missile attack was carried out using Iskander-M ballistic missile with a cluster warhead, a missile known as harder to intercept, said Ukrainian navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk.

“Monsters. Beasts. Savages. Scum. I don’t know what else to say,” Odesa mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said in a video posted on Telegram. “People are going for a walk by the sea and they are shooting and killing.”

Reuters Television footage showed the roof of the ornate building, a private law academy, all but destroyed after the strike. Firefighters were directing water on small fires still burning actively.

A student at the academy who identified herself by her first name, Maria, said the blaze was caused when the missile was intercepted.

North Korean missile hit Ukraine’s Kharkiv, say UN experts

Debris from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile was found in Ukraine’s Kharkiv when it came under attack on 2 January this year, according to the United Nations sanctions monitors.

The UN sanctions members informed a Security Council committee in a 32-page report seen by Reuters, concluding that “debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine on 2 January 2024 derives from a DPRK Hwasong-11 series missiles.”

Missile’s use in Ukraine is in violation of the arms embargo on North Korea, the report added.

“Information on the trajectory provided by Ukrainian authorities indicates it was launched within the territory of the Russian Federation,” officials wrote in a 25 April report to the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee.

Three sanctions monitors travelled to Ukraine earlier in April to inspect the debris and found no evidence that the missile was made by Russia. They “could not independently identify from where the missile was launched, nor by whom.”

“Such a location, if the missile was under control of Russian forces, would probably indicate procurement by nationals of the Russian Federation,” they said, adding that this would be a violation of the arms embargo imposed on North Korea in 2006.

Ukraine pushes to get military-age men to come home. Some neighboring countries say they will help

Ukraine’s foreign minister doubled down Friday on the government’s move to bolster the pool of fighting forces by cutting off consular services to conscription-age men outside the country, saying it was a question of “justice.”

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the policy would ensure men in Ukraine and those who have left were both treated fairly.

As EU election campaigns kick off in Germany, the Ukraine war, rise of far right are dominant themes

Several German parties on Saturday kicked off their campaigns for the election of the European Parliament in June with a focus on issues such as the war in Ukraine and support by many European voters for far-right nationalist parties across the continent.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ’s center-left Social Democrats, or SPD, launched their official campaign for the June 9 EU election with a rally in Hamburg, Scholz’s longtime home city.

Russia launches fresh missile barrage across Ukraine – but Kyiv fights back with drones

Russian missiles have pounded power facilities across Ukraine – with Kyiv saying it had launched its own major long-range drone attack into Russia .

The airstrikes by Moscow, carried out with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles fired by Russian strategic bombers based in the Arctic Circle, are the fourth large-scale aerial assault targeting the power system since the last week of March .

Russia launches missile barrage across Ukraine – but Kyiv fights back with drones

More footage of the Russian missile strike in Odessa

Below you can see more footage of the aftermath of a Russian strike on the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa.

Mexican film wins top prize at Moscow International Film Festival while major studios boycott Russia

A Mexican film has won the top prize Friday at the Moscow International Film Festival, which took place as major Western studios boycott the Russian market and as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its third year.

“ Shame ,” a film by director Miguel Salgado and co-produced by Mexico and Qatar, was the most highly awarded film at the festival, which began in 1935 and which has been held annually since 1999. This year’s edition included more than 240 films from 56 countries.

Two Russian journalists jailed on 'extremism' charges for alleged work for Navalny group

Two Russian journalists were arrested by their government on “extremism” charges and ordered by courts there on Saturday to remain in custody pending investigation and trial on accusations of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny .

Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin both denied the charges for which they will be detained for a minimum of two months before any trials begin. Each faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organization,” according to Russian courts.

Russian court places Forbes journalist under house arrest

A Russian court has placed a journalist from the local edition of US magazine Forbes under house arrest.

Sergei Mingazov was detained earlier on Friday on suspicion of spreading false information about the Russian army , according to the magazine.

Vladimir Torkonyak, an official from the Khabarovsk Regional Court said that the 55-year-old journalist was placed under house arrest for spreading “ fake news about the Russian army ” through a two-year-old post on a Telegram channel, reported Russia ’s state-owned RIA news agency.

Russian missile hits educational institution, kills two in Ukraine's Odesa

A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa on Monday killed two people and injured at least 17, officials said.

Regional governor Oleh Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said 17 people had been injured, at least two of them in serious condition. The injured included a 12-year-old boy.

Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov put the number of injured at 20.

Pictures posted online showed an ornate building close to the seafront ablaze and smoke billowing skyward. Video footage, which could not be immediately verified, showed people receiving treatment on the street alongside pools of blood.

Public broadcaster Suspilne said the roof of the building, described as a legal academy, had been nearly destroyed. It said the academy’s president, a prominent former member of parliament, Serhiy Kivalov, was among the injured.

The Ukrainian Air Force had announced a harder-to-intercept ballistic missile threat ahead of the strike.

“NATO allies have not delivered what they promised,” Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, referring to delays by the U.S. and Europe in sending weapons and ammunition.

UAE and Ukraine conclude talks on bilateral trade deal

The United Arab Emirates and Ukraine have completed negotiations for a bilateral trade deal, according to a joint statement released on Monday, ahead of its formal signing.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will remove or reduce tariffs on a range of good and products, remove trade barriers and ease market access to exporters from both sides, the statement said.

In addition, the CEPA will also “support Ukraine‘s recovery and the rebuilding of key industries and infrastructure, while also helping to strengthen supply chains to the (Middle East and North Africa) region for major exports such as grains, machinery and metals.”

UAE-Ukraine bilateral non-oil trade reached $385.8 million in 2023, with joint investment worth about $360 million by the end of 2022 spanning sectors including logistics and infrastructure, travel and tourism, and advanced technology.

“We want to be ready for the next era of Ukraine,” Thani al Zeyoudi, UAE minister for foreign trade, told Reuters.

“It (the CEPA) is an important step for us to have another gateway to Europe through Ukraine,” Zeyoudi said, adding the deal will provide potential market access not only for goods but also services and allow UAE companies to build up connectivity to the European Union if or when Ukraine joins the bloc.”

US intelligence believes Putin probably didn’t order his rival Navalny’s killing, report claims

US intelligence agencies are said to have concluded that Vladimir Putin probably did not directly order the killing of his most prominent critic Alexei Navalny, who suddenly died in his Arctic prison cell in February.

The death of 47-year-old Mr Navalny, leading light of Russia’s opposition movement, was announced on 16 February. He had been serving a prison sentence on charges of extremism, which the international community decried as trumped up to try and silence a thorn in the side of the Kremlin.

World leaders have lined up to condemn the death, while a number of nations – including the UK and the US – have announced sanctions against those in charge of the prison in which Mr Navalny was held.

US intelligence believes Putin probably didn’t order Navalny’s killing, report claims

Russia is plotting attacks across Europe – and they’re only going to get worse

The Kremlin stands accused of everything from arson attacks in the UK to targeting GPS systems used to navigate flights, writes Keir Giles . As the country recruits more freelancers to act on its behalf, we should prepare for the dangers ahead:

Russia is plotting attacks across Europe - and they’re only going to get worse

Putin puts captured British armoured cars and American tanks on display after they were captured in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has proudly displayed a selection of American and British tanks in Moscow after they were captured on the frontline in Ukraine.

A British Saxon armoured personnel carrier, believed to have been given to Ukraine in 2015, was among vehicles pictured parked in the Russian capital under red banners boasting “Our victory is inevitable”.

The display is part of a month-long exhibition, which also features an American Bradley tank, a Swedish CV90 and a French-made AMX-10RC armoured fighting vehicle.

Putin parades British armoured cars and US tanks captured in Ukraine

Latvians told to turn basements into bomb shelters amid fears Russia could target Baltic states next

Latvians have been told to convert their basements into air raid shelters amid fears that Vladimir Putin could target the Baltic states next.

Vilnis Kirsis, the mayor of Riga, Lativa’s capital , said people should be ready to shelter in their cellars

“We call on everyone during the big clean-up, but also afterwards, to ensure that your cellars and your basements can be used as shelters in case of emergencies,” he said.

Latvians told to turn basements into bomb shelters amid Russia attack fears

Killing of two Ukrainian soldiers may be political, German prosecutors say

German prosecutors on Monday said they were not ruling out a political motive as they investigated a Russian citizen arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death two convalescing Ukrainian soldiers over the weekend.

The soldiers - who had been recuperating in southern Germany - were found with serious stab wounds outside a shopping centre in the Bavarian town of Murnau am See on Saturday evening, according to police. One of them, aged 36, died at the scene, while the other, 23, succumbed to his wounds in hospital.

A 57-year-old Russian citizen was arrested in his home shortly after the act on suspicion of murder, police said.

Early indications suggest the three men had known each other.

“The motive for the crime is currently unclear, although a political motivation cannot be ruled out and is being investigated in all directions,” the prosecutor general’s office in Munich said as it took over the case.

Ukrainian consuls are clarifying information about the units in which the victims served and establishing contact with their families, the Ukrainian government said in a statement.

Nato chief criticises allies for not being quicker to help Ukraine

Nato countries have not delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, the alliance’s chief said Monday, allowing Russia to press its battlefield advantage while Kyiv’s depleted forces wait for Western military supplies to arrive.

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that “serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield” for Ukraine.

“Nato allies have not delivered what they promised,” Mr Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to delays by the US and Europe in sending weapons and ammunition.

Ukraine‘s troops were compelled to make a tactical retreat from three villages in the eastern region, where the Kremlin’s forces have been making incremental gains against their weaker opponent, Ukraine‘s army chief said Sunday.

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Monday that its forces had also taken the village of Semenivka.

Mr Stoltenberg said: “The lack of ammunition has allowed the Russians to push forward along the front line.

“Lack of air defence has made it possible for more Russian missiles to hit their targets, and the lack of deep strike capabilities has made it possible for the Russians to concentrate more forces.”

Russia's war in Ukraine boosts EU case for further expansion, chairman says

Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine has given a fresh impetus to the European Union’s drive to admit more countries, the bloc’s chairman said on Monday, adding he hoped the 27-nation club and prospective new members would be ready by 2030.

European Council President Charles Michel spoke ahead of the 20th anniversary on Wednesday of the EU’s “Big Bang” enlargement that added 10 mostly ex-communist nations such as Poland and Hungary but also the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus to a bloc that had then comprised just 15 members.

“It was a call of history to unite European countries,” Michel told reporters of the 2004 enlargement.

“Twenty years later we face a similar challenge because there is this geo-political chaos, including because of this war by Russia against Ukraine. And facing this chaos is the geo-political strategy to reunify once again.”

He added: “Because of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, there is a new impetus, a reinvigoration of the (EU) enlargement strategy.

“It is challenging. But what is the alternative? The alternative would be a terrible, irresponsible mistake from the EU,” he said, calling for the EU and candidate countries to carry out by 2030 the reforms necessary for a new enlargement.

Russia jails two journalists for ‘working with Alexei Navalny group’

Russia has jailed two journalists on extremism charges for working with a group founded by the late opposition politician Alexei Navalny .

Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin have been accused of producing content for Navalny’s YouTube channel, NavalnyLIVE, run by the Foundation for Fighting Corruption. The organisation, which is dedicated to investigating corrupt practices by Vladimir Putin, his associates and the ruling elite, has been declared an “extremist” body by the Kremlin.

Mr Gabov, arrested on Saturday, was accused of being involved in the “ preparation of photo and video materials” for the YouTube channel, Moscow’s Basmanny district court press service said.

“The enemy again massively shelled Ukrainian energy facilities,” said DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private electricity company, adding that four of its six thermal power plants had suffered damage overnight.

Read more from Chris Stevenson here:

Ukraine’s Zelensky urges US to speed up weapons deliveries

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that vital US weapons were starting to arrive in Ukraine in small amounts and that the process needed to move faster as advancing Russian forces were trying to take advantage.

Zelensky told a joint news conference in Kyiv alongside visiting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg that the situation on the battlefield directly depended on the speed of ammunition supplies to Ukraine.

“Timely support for our army. Today I don’t see anything positive on this point yet. There are supplies, they have slightly begun, this process needs to be sped up,” he said.

The Russian defence ministry announced the capture of Novobakhmutivka on Sunday, another village close to Ocheretyne, which has become a focal point of fighting in recent days.

“Russian forces will likely continue to make tactical gains in the Avdiivka direction in the coming weeks,” the Institute for the Study of War said.

“The next line of defensible settlements in the area is some distance from the Ukrainian defensive line that Russian forces have been attacking since the seizure of Avdiivka in mid-February 2024.”

Russian forces advance in Ukraine's east

Russian forces advanced at points along the front line in Ukraine on Monday, taking a village in the Donetsk region, gaining better positions in the Kharkiv region and repelling a number of Ukrainian attacks, Russia‘s defence ministry said.

Russia controls about 18% of Ukraine - in the east and south - and has been gaining ground since the failure of Kyiv’s 2023 counter-offensive to make any serious inroads against well dug-in Russian troops.

President Vladimir Putin in February ordered Russian troops to push further into Ukraine after the fall of the town of Avdiivka where he said Ukrainian troops had been forced to flee in chaos. Ukraine said it withdrew from Avdiivka.

Russia‘s defence ministry said its troops had taken the village of Semenivka, northwest of Avdiivka. Russia said it had defeated Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries in a number of other villages in the area.

Russia also reported defeating Ukrainian troops in the areas of Synkivka in the Kharkiv region and at a number of other points along the front line. It also said it had struck Ukrainian drone workshops.

North Korea criticised the United States for supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine, state media KCNA reported on Monday, citing a statement from the defence ministry.

The United States in recent weeks secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in its battle to fight off Russian invaders, a US official said on April 24.

On Sunday, the director of the Department of Foreign Military Affairs of North Korea’s Ministry of National Defence was quoted as saying in a statement: “The US has secretly supplied long-range missiles to Ukraine, sparking off uneasiness and concern of the international community.”

“The US can never defeat the heroic Russian army and people with any latest weaponry or military support,” the director said.

Military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow are growing which the U.S. and its allies see as escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

Russian forces take control of village in Ukraine's Donetsk region

Russian forces have taken the village of Semenivka in Ukraine‘s Donetsk region, Russia‘s defence ministry said on Monday.

On Sunday, the ministry announced the capture of Novobakhmutivka, another village close to Ocheretyne, which has become a focal point of fighting in recent days.

Telegram unblocks chatbots used by Ukraine's security services

Ukraine said on Monday the Telegram messaging app had restored access to a number of chatbots used by Ukraine‘s security agencies to collect information about Russia‘s war effort after the services were briefly suspended.

The Dubai-based Telegram app founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov blocked a number of bots used by Ukraine to fight back against Russia‘s full-scale invasion, Kyiv’s military spy agency GUR said in a statement shortly after midnight.

A Telegram bot is an automated feature that allows the app’s users to submit or ask for information. Some of the bots run by Ukraine‘s government allow people to report the whereabouts of Russian military hardware and personnel inside Ukraine.

The GUR had said that “management of the Telegram platform unreasonably blocked a number of official bots that have opposed Russia‘s military aggression against Ukraine, including the (GUR) bot”.

By morning, Ukraine‘s Centre for Strategic Communication said that three affected bots, used by Ukraine‘s SBU security service, GUR and digital ministry for the war effort had been unblocked.

A Telegram spokesperson said bots were “temporarily disabled due to a false positive but have since been reinstated”, without giving further details.

Ukraine's farm minister welcomes end of Polish border blockade

Ukraine’s farm minister welcomed the ending of a months-long border blockade by Polish protesters, which he said followed productive talks with Poland.

“The negotiations that took place were not easy, but the main thing is that we have a result,” Mykola Solsky was quoted as saying in a statement from the ministry.

Polish protestors stop blocking cargo vehicles at Ukraine crossing point

Polish protesters have stopped blocking cargo vehicles at the Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska crossing point, The Kyiv Independent reported on Monday.

Ukraine’s Border Guard Service said in a statement that trucks carrying grain crops to Poland would still not be allowed passage, except for those transiting to other countries.

Zelensky says Ukraine is focusing on improving drone operations

Volodymyr Zekensky said Ukraine is making “every effort to increase our capabilities in drone operation” in a post on X today.

The Ukrainian president also thanked all those involved in the production which is helping to “protect Ukrainian skies”.

A Ukrainian court ordered the detention of the country’s farm minister on Friday in the latest high-profile corruption investigation, while Kyiv security officials assessed how they can recover lost battlefield momentum in the war against Russia.

Ukraine is trying to root out corruption that has long dogged the country. A dragnet over the past two years has seen Ukraine’s defense minister, top prosecutor, intelligence chief and other senior officials lose their jobs.

Read more here:

Ukraine spy agency says Telegram platform blocks its key bots

Ukraine‘s military spy agency GUR said on Monday that the management of the Telegram messaging platform has blocked a number of official bots that opposed Russia‘s military aggression against Ukraine.

“Today, the management of the Telegram platform unreasonably blocked a number of official bots that opposed Russia‘s military aggression against Ukraine, including the main Intelligence bot,” GUR said in a statement posted on the Telegram.

“Despite the blocking of our bot - your personal data is safe.”

Telegram’s press service did not immediately reply to Reuters’ request to comment.

A bot is a software application that can run on its own following instructions and is programmed to perform certain tasks. It can mimic conversation with people, among others, or collect content.

The Dubai-based Telegram messaging app, one of the most popular social media platforms, was founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on another social media platform, which he had sold.

Ukraine pushes to get military-age men to come home

Ukraine’s foreign minister doubled down on the government’s move to bolster the pool of fighting forces by cutting off consular services to conscription-age men outside the country, saying it was a question of “justice.”

“It’s about justice -- justice in the relationship between Ukrainian men abroad and Ukrainian men inside of Ukraine,” he said on Friday.

Earlier this month, Ukraine lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25 in an effort to bolster the size of its military.

“The situation at the front has worsened,” he wrote on the Telegram app, describing the “most difficult” areas as west of occupied Maryinka and northwest of Avdiivka, the town captured by Russian forces in February.

Record 30 per cent rise in Russian men aged 31-59 with disabilities

Russian demographers have recorded a 30 per cent increase in Russian men aged 31-59 with disabilities since 2023, attributing the rise to military casualties since the war began.

Russian journalists jailed on ‘extremism’ charges for alleged Navalny group work

Two journalists have been arrested in Russia on charges of “extremism” amid claims from the Kremlin they were connected to groups founded by late Russian politician and freedom fighter Alexei Navalny.

Journalists Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin both denied the charges of alleged “participation in an extremist organisation” with a penalty of six years in jail.

They are just the latest media personnel targeted amid a government crackdown on dissent and independent media that has intensified after the invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.

The Russian government passed laws criminalising what it deems as false information about the military, or statements seen as discrediting the military, effectively outlawing any criticism of the war in Ukraine or speech that deviates from the official narrative.

Forbes magazine Russian journalist Sergei Mingazov was also arrested on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military, his lawyer said on Friday.

Mr Gabov and Mr Karelin are accused of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which Russian authorities have outlawed.

Ukraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines over Russian drone threats

Ukraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from front lines over Russian drone threats

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North Korea

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The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office ( FCDO ) provides advice about risks of travel to help British nationals make informed decisions. Find out more about FCDO travel advice .

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to North Korea

Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice. Consular support is also severely limited where FCDO advises against travel.

North Korea’s borders are currently closed, but few British people visit when they are open. Those that do are usually part of an organised tour. If you decide to visit North Korea, follow the advice of your tour group and the local authorities. Failure to do so could put your personal safety at risk.

The North Korean authorities have reportedly detained some foreign nationals and denied them access to consular support.

While daily life in the capital city Pyongyang may appear calm, the security situation can change quickly with no advance warning about possible actions by the authorities. This poses significant risks to British visitors and residents.

Follow the political and security situation very closely and stay in touch with your host organisation or tour operator.

Current incidents and risks

Covid-19 lockdown.

No entry into North Korea is permitted while COVID-19 border restrictions remain in place. The North Korean government continues to temporarily suspend all passenger routes into and out of North Korea. The British Embassy in Pyongyang is temporarily closed due to these restrictions. This means you cannot get consular support from within North Korea.

You cannot enter or leave North Korea through the border with South Korea without special permission.

Nuclear testing

The level of tension on the Korean peninsula has remained high since 2017 when North Korea began a series of nuclear and missile tests.

A halt in nuclear testing and ballistic missile tests, announced in April 2018, came to an end in May 2019. Testing of ballistic missiles has taken place frequently since 2019.

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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Child seriously hurt as number of dead rises after airstrike in Odesa seaside park

The Ukrainian authorities say the number of victims from a Russian airstrike in Odesa has risen, with many more injured. Listen to a Daily podcast on whether the UK should send troops to Ukraine as you scroll.

Tuesday 30 April 2024 11:19, UK

• Number of victims from Odesa attack rises to five, with child badly hurt
• Watch: Massive building in flames after attack
• Explained : Why is Chasiv Yar the next target for Russia?
• Your questions answered: Will Ukraine launch another spring offensive?
• Listen to the Sky News Daily above and  tap here  to follow wherever you get your podcasts

Live events elsewhere mean we are leaving our coverage of the Ukraine war there for the day. 

The main development this morning was the rise in the number of people killed in a Russian strike on Odesa yesterday to five.

Read more details in our posts below - and we'll be back with rolling updates and analysis of the war soon.

At least two people have been killed in another Russian strike, this time targeting the northeastern city of Kharkiv, local officials say.

Six more have been wounded in the attack, which Governor Oleh Synehubov says was carried out using guided bombs, according to preliminary information.

The attack damaged a residential building in one of the city districts, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. 

Emergency services are on the scene, local officials say.

Yesterday, a woman was reportedly injured after a "series of explosions" hit the city, according to the mayor.

Russia denies targeting civilians in the war that is now in its third year.

As we reported yesterday, a Russian missile attack targeted an educational institution in a popular seafront park in the Black Sea port of Odesa.

The number of victims from that airstrike has risen, with five people now reported to have died. 

Local officials had initially said four were killed.

Regional governor Oleh Kiper said in addition to those killed in the attack, one man died after suffering a stroke attributed to the strike.

Another 32 are said to be injured, eight of whom seriously - including a four-year-old child.

A pregnant woman and another child are also among the injured.

"Monsters, beasts, savages, scum, I don't know what else to say," Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said.

"People are going for a walk by the sea and they are shooting and killing."

Video footage, which could not be immediately verified, showed people receiving treatment on the street alongside pools of blood. 

One photo showed officials examining part of a missile.

Ukrainian navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the strike was conducted by an Iskander-M ballistic missile with a cluster warhead.

Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian missile and drone attacks, particular port infrastructure.

Hello and welcome back to our coverage of the war in Ukraine. 

Yesterday a Russian attack on the port city of Odesa killed at least four people, while dramatic footage showed a massive education facility ablaze in the aftermath. 

Here are the other key events to get you up to speed on from the past 24 hours:

• More than 30 Ukrainian conscripts have died while trying to cross the border illegally to avoid mobilisation, a Ukrainian official said;
• The Duchess of Edinburgh met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, in what marks the first visit to the country by a member of the Royal Family since the war begin;
• Debris recovered from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv on 2 January was North Korean, according to the United Nations;
• NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg visited Kyiv for a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy;
• In a joint news conference, Mr Stoltenberg said NATO allies had "not delivered" on their military aid pledges to Ukraine in recent months, saying that "serious delays" had led to negative consequences on the battlefield;
• Mr Zelenskyy also called for the delivery of Western weapons to Kyiv's troops to be sped up;
• Russia's defence ministry claimed its forces have taken control of the village of Semenivka in the eastern Donetsk region;
• European Council president Charles Michel said the Russian invasion of Ukraine has given "new impetus" to calls for the EU to be enlarged beyond the 27 members;
• Germany's public prosecutor's office said it was assessing whether a political motive was behind the killing of two Ukrainian soldiers in Murnau.

As we reported a short time ago, the Duchess of Edinburgh has met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, in what marks the first visit to the country by a member of the Royal Family since the war begin.

Sophie met the Ukrainian president and first lady Olena Zelenska and delivered a message to them on behalf of the King, Buckingham Palace said.

You can watch footage from her trip here...

Throughout the day, we've been reporting on a Russian attack on the city of Odesa in Ukraine, which has killed at least four people. 

These images show a burning educational institution building, which was struck. 

Airline Finnair has said it is pausing flights to Tartu in eastern Estonia for the next month, due to GPS disturbances in the area.

"Finnair will suspend its daily flights to Tartu, Estonia, from 29 April to 31 May, so that an alternative approach solution that does not require a GPS signal can be put in place at Tartu Airport," the Finnish airline said in a statement.

Finnair last week had to divert two flights back to Helsinki after GPS interference prevented the approach to Tartu airport, although a spokesperson said the company did not now where the interference came from.

However, Tallinn seems certain as where the issues are originating. 

"It is a fact that Russia affects GPS devices in our region’s airspace," Estonia's foreign minister said via a spokesperson.

Margus Tsahkna added that Estonia will raise the issue of GPS interference with its neighbours, and intends to discuss it with the EU and NATO. 

GPS jamming and spoofing have grown worse in eastern Europe, the Black Sea and the Middle East, all areas close to conflict zones, according to industry group OpsGroup. 

More than 30 Ukrainian conscripts have died while trying to cross the border illegally to avoid mobilisation, a Ukrainian official has said.

Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service,  told Ukrinform that some men are prepared to pay "large sums" of money to groups promising to smuggle them across the border safely.

"Then they are faced with the fact that the route runs along a mountain river," he said.

Many conscripts have lost their lives after realising they didn't have the strength to swim the river, Mr Demchenko added.

"In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, about 30 people have died trying to cross the border illegally," he said.

Such attempts occur "every day", he said.

For context: Ukraine has been under martial law since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

It lets draft officers call up men of a certain age to fight on the front line.

In April, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed off a new law lowering the age of draft-eligible men from 27 to 25, in a bid to boost troop numbers in his depleted ranks.

The Duchess of Edinburgh has met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, in what marks the first visit to the country by a member of the Royal Family since the war begin.

Her visit is aimed at demonstrating "solidarity with the women, men and children impacted by the war and in a continuation of her work to champion survivors of conflict-related sexual violence", the palace said.

Three women and a man have died after a Russian attack on Odesa.

A further 28 people have been injured, including two children aged five and 16. A pregnant woman has also been hurt.

This video shows the aftermath of the attack. 

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