Volodin Visits North Korea to Honor Troops in Ukraine
SkimNews Take
The public acknowledgement of North Korean troop deployment by a senior Russian official signals a shift from covert military support to open, formalized alliance in the conflict.
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- Vyacheslav Volodin visited North Korea on April 25 to attend a ceremony marking Pyongyang’s troop deployment in the Ukraine war.
- North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces, with over 6,000 killed according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials.
- Jo Yong-won welcomed Volodin as head of the Supreme People’s Assembly and close confidant of Kim Jong Un.
- Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive strategic treaty with a mutual defence pact in June 2024, cementing military cooperation.
- Russian strikes in Ukraine killed at least 52 civilians in April, with multiple reports of casualties—three killed, four wounded; seven dead—showing ongoing violence.
Why it matters: Russia secures a high‑profile ally as North Korea publicly backs its war effort, while Ukraine suffers at least 52 civilian deaths in April, raising humanitarian costs and bolstering a Russia‑North Korea pact that alters regional security calculations.
