Moscow [Russia], July 26: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu travelled to North Korea to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, according to official sources.
He will spend three days there until July 27, taking part in various celebrations of the "victory of the Korean people in the Fatherland Liberation War 1950 - 1953," the Russian Defence Ministry said.
Shoigu's visit to Pyongyang serves to strengthen Russian-North Korean military cooperation and is an important step in the development of bilateral cooperation, the ministry in Moscow added. The US suspects North Korea of supporting Russia with weapons in its war against Ukraine. The Wagner mercenary force, which fights alongside Russia's regular forces, is also said to have been equipped with weapons by Pyongyang.
North Korea is largely isolated internationally because of its nuclear missile programme, but maintains loose contact with two permanent members of the UN Security Council - China and Russia. The country has been run dictatorially by the Kim dynasty since the 1950s. July 27, which marks the end of the Korean War, is celebrated in Pyongyang as Victory Day.
Source: Qatar Tribune