The invitation of VIP Russian and Chinese guests, including senior politician Li Hongzhong, to the North’s Victory Day celebrations, potentially signals an easing of Pyongyang’s strict Covid border controls and offers Kim a domestic propaganda victory as he attempts to bolster a statesman-like image, despite crushing economic woes.
Russia, a historic ally of Pyongyang, is one of very few countries that maintains friendly relations with the North, while authoritarian leader, Kim, has offered unflinching support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to a US intelligence report last year, Russia has been buying artillery shells and rockets from North Korea. Analysts suggest that this may have been in exchange for grain, oil and medical shipments that enable Kim to soften the impact of US-led sanctions against his nuclear weapons programme.
