Russia and North Korea seal military alliance amid tensions

The treaty, signed in June this year, stipulates that in the event of aggression or threat to either party's sovereignty, the other party will provide immediate military assistance and support by all available means.

The Interfax agency reported that both parties also committed to launching bilateral consultation channels to coordinate actions and positions in the face of a direct threat of armed aggression.

The independent portal "Moscow Times" emphasised that this agreement effectively signifies the creation of a military alliance between Russia and North Korea.

In mid-October, President Vladimir Putin submitted to parliament the draft law on the ratification of this treaty, which was linked to reports of the possible deployment of North Korean soldiers to Ukraine. Shortly afterwards, the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, also unanimously ratified the document.

Now the agreement has been unanimously ratified by the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament.

Ukraine's Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, confirmed in recent days the first clashes of Ukrainian armed forces with North Korean soldiers. In his Tuesday speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that "the first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new chapter of instability in the world," without providing specific details of these clashes.