Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a bill to the State Duma, published online on Oct. 14, to ratify a treaty entailing strategic partnership with North Korea.
Among the tenets of the treaty is a stipulation that either country must provide military assistance to the other in the case of an attack.
The treaty was first signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June 2024. The defense pact officially enters into effect when both nations ratify the agreement.
Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened military cooperation as Russia seeks arms and other support in its full-scale war against Ukraine. In recent weeks, claims of a more direct North Korean presence in Ukraine have increased.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 14 announced that Russia plans to involve North Korea directly in the full-scale war against Ukraine in the coming months.
According to Ukraine's military intelligence, Russia's plans for the fall and winter include "the actual involvement of North Korea in the war," Zelensky said.
The previous day, Zelensky warned of Russia's "increasing alliance" with North Korea, saying the partnership had moved beyond an arms deal and is now "actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces."
Zelensky's statement followed reports that several North Korean officers had been killed in a Ukrainian missile strike in occupied Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent has not been able to verify these reports, which have not been confirmed beyond a single intelligence source.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun told lawmakers in early October that North Korea was likely planning to send troops to Ukraine to fight alongside Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Oct. 10 dismissed these reports as "fake news."
The agreement signed by Putin and Kim bears similarities to historical treaties. South Korea's Yonhap news agency noted in June that Article 4 of the treaty, which discusses the obligation to render military assistance, replicates wording from Article 1 of the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance signed by North Korea and the Soviet Union in 1961.
Chris York
(Updated: )
