Look who turned up in Pyongyang, the guy who just few weeks ago fled Moscow in fear of an overweight caterer turned mercenary boss:
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (R) shakes hands with North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam after arriving in Pyongyang on July 25, 2023, in this photo released by the North’s Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with his North Korean counterpart, Kang Sun-nam, in Pyongyang on Wednesday and expressed his determination to boost bilateral ties, Russian media reported.
Shoigu arrived in the North Korean capital Tuesday for a three-day visit to attend commemorative events to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War armistice.
“I am confident that today’s talks will help strengthen cooperation between our defense ministries,” TASS quoted Shoigu as saying.
The North is set to hold commemorative events for the landmark anniversary of the signing of the armistice on July 27, 1953, which is celebrated in the country as Victory Day.
Considering how corrupt the IOC is I doubt Kim Yuna will be upgraded to a gold medal:
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Tuesday it will ask the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reinvestigate the results of the women’s figure skating final at the 2014 Sochi Olympics after gold medalist Adelina Sotnikova recently admitted failing an initial doping test that year.
Korean figure skater Kim Yuna took silver in the event after finishing second. If a review of Sotnikova’s 2014 tests were to go ahead and she was to test positive, the IOC could opt to eliminate her and elevate Kim to the gold medal spot.
The decision to appeal comes after Sotnikova told a Russian YouTube channel that she failed a drug test in 2014, but was cleared after providing a second sample. Clearing an athlete based solely on a second sample is considered highly irregular.
You can read more at the link, but the judges from the competition were suspected of being corrupt as well. If you haven’t already I recommend watching on Netflix the show Icarus that goes into detail how the Russians cheated during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Certainly Seoul is watching this closely, noting the messaging that nuclear use guarantees a military response, but not necessarily a nuclear one. https://t.co/gdzJZ80C2B
As Beijing watched Prigozhin's private army move toward Moscow, one thought that may have entered Xi Jinping's head: "I was correct to jail Generals Xu Caihou and Guo boxiong and purge disloyalty and corruption from the PLA." The PLA, the Party's Army, from 2004 to 2014… 1/7
Russian diplomats honor ex-Soviet war dead This photo, released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, shows the cemetery for the former Soviet war dead in Pyongyang. Officials from the Russian Embassy in the North’s capital offered flowers there on June 12, 2023, according to the agency. (Yonhap)
The Russians and Chinese are showing they are unhappy with trilateral security cooperation between the U.S., Japan, and ROK:
Four Chinese and four Russian military planes entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without notice Tuesday, Seoul’s military said, prompting the South Korean Air Force to send its fighter jets to the scene.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that between 11:52 a.m. and 1:49 p.m., the Chinese and Russian aircraft entered the southern and eastern parts of the KADIZ, respectively, and exited it. They did not violate South Korea’s air space, it added.
“Our military identified the Chinese and Russian planes before their entry into the KADIZ and deployed Air Force fighters to conduct tactical steps in preparation against potential accidental situations,” the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.
Russian diplomats in N.K. Officials from the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang, including, Ambassador Alexandr Matsegora, offer flowers at the Liberation Tower honoring the former Soviet war dead in the North’s capital on May 9, 2023, on the occasion of the anniversary of Russia’s victory in World War II, in this photo released by the North’s Korean Central News Agency on May 11. (Yonhap)
The Kremlin is threatening to send advanced weapons to North Korea if the ROK sends arms to Ukraine:
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during an interview with Reuters at the presidential office in Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap)
Any decision by South Korea to supply arms to Ukraine would make Seoul a participant in the conflict, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after President Yoon Suk Yeol opened the door to such deliveries.
South Korea has denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and supplied economic and humanitarian aid to Kyiv, but unlike the United States and European allies has so far stopped short of sending weapons. (…..)
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin who frequently makes hawkish comments on Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, suggested Moscow could respond by supplying advanced weaponry to North Korea.
“I wonder what the inhabitants of this country (South Korea) will say when they see the latest designs of Russian weapons in the hands of their closest neighbors – our partners from the DPRK?” Medvedev said in a post on Telegram, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
