Putin sends the head of the Russian 007 to North Korea. Because the axis between Moscow and Pyongyang scares NATO

The axis between Russia and North Korea sthe West fears. The Kremlin sent Russia’s spy chief to Pyongyang this week for talks with his North Korean counterpart. Newsweek reported the news, citing state media. Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, held talks with North Korea’s Minister of State Security Ri Chang Dae from March 25 to 27. This was reported by the Korean Central News Agency. The two briefed themselves “on the present international and regional situation,” KCNA said, “and widely and deeply discussed practical issues to further strengthen cooperation to cope with the ever-increasing espionage and conspiracy moves by hostile forces” . This occurred in parallel with working-level talks between intelligence officials from both sides, according to the report, which said the meetings “took place in a comradely and friendly atmosphere.”

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The relationship with Putin

Naryshkin is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, having previously served as Kremlin chief of staff before becoming speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament. Since 2016 he has been director of the external security service. Foreign trips undertaken by senior intelligence officials are typically not publicized in real time other than for reporting purposes. The Russian Foreign Ministry and North Korea’s embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to separate written requests for comment

The strategy

Strategic ties between Moscow and Pyongyang date back to the early days of the Cold War, when the Soviet Union was the first to formally recognize the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948, then supported the North militarily during the Korean War. Both Russia and North Korea remain heavily sanctioned, the former for its war in Ukraine; the second for its nuclear and missile programs. The United States and its allies have accused North Korea of ​​supplying ballistic missiles and thousands of artillery rounds to Russia for use against Ukrainian forces; both governments deny the accusation. In exchange, South Korean intelligence suggests, the Kremlin has kept promises to assist the North’s reconnaissance satellite program and upgrade Pyongyang’s Soviet-era military hardware. Senior US officials said they were “deeply concerned” about Putin’s growing relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who was invited to visit Russia’s main spaceport last fall. Kim recently received a Russian-made limousine as a personal gift from Putin. Beijing, which has historically competed with Moscow for influence over Pyongyang, will watch how far strategic ties go. North Korea and China are each other’s only defense treaty allies.

Doubts about the European elections

The Security information service (Bis) of the Czech Republic has revealed that a network organized by Russia tried to influence the elections to the EU Parliament in several European countries. This was reported by the Czech newspaper Denik N, explaining that some European politicians who collaborated with the pro-Moscow website ‘voice-of-europe.eù were paid with Russian funds, which in some cases also covered their electoral campaign for the elections European elections 2024. The payments concerned politicians from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland, says Denik N, citing a source from the Czech Foreign Ministry.

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