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LAST UPDATE | 21 Mar
A TOP RUSSIAN security official has met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, thanking him for the country’s support of Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine, Russian state media said.
The meeting came after reports that North Korea recently sent additional troops to Russia to aid its war efforts.
Russia’s state-run news agency Tass reported that Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s Security Council secretary, conveyed a message to Kim from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who extended his greetings and vowed to give “utmost attention” to implementing agreements reached in their recent talks.
The agency said Shoigu expressed gratitude on behalf of Russia for North Korea’s “solidarity with Russia’s position on all critical geopolitical issues, particularly on the Ukrainian issue”.
Interfax, another Russian news agency, reported that during the meeting, Shoigu reaffirmed Moscow’s “unconditional readiness” to uphold a security partnership deal reached at last year’s Pyongyang summit, which pledges mutual assistance if either country faces aggression.
The agency, quoting Shoigu, said various issues were discussed during his two-hours-plus meeting with Kim, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, Moscow’s dialogues with the Trump administration and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Shoigu’s visit comes after Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle to a limited ceasefire after President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders, though it remains to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be off-limits to attack.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency also confirmed the arrival of a Russian delegation led by Shoigu but did not provide details on the purpose of their visit.
The North has been supplying a vast amount of conventional weapons to Russia, and last autumn it sent about 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia as well, according to US, South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials.
In late February, South Korea’s spy agency said North Korea appeared to have sent additional troops to Russia. South Korean media put the number of new North Korean soldiers at about 1,000 to 3,000.
South Korea, America and others suspect North Korea is receiving economic and military assistance from Russia in return for providing weapons and troops.
Many experts say North Korea will likely ramp up its support of Russia to win as many benefits as possible from Russia before the war ends.
Shoigu’s trip could be related to Kim’s possible trip to Russia, some observers say. In June 2024, Putin visited Pyongyang and signed a major mutual defence treaty with Kim. At the time, Putin invited Kim to visit Moscow.
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It is difficult to understand the naivety or ignorance of those who think ‘it could never happen to Ireland’.
In WWII Norway, North Africa, Greece thought the Germans would have no interest as they were too far away. Singapore, Pearl Harbour (Hawaii) and Darwin (Australia) thought the same about the Japanese.
So the Russians were dropping anchors again today close to the undersea cables off Ireland, using the same ship that was noted doing the same some months ago. If the Russians decide Ireland is an easy target, who do you expect will come to our aid, as we are not a member of NATO while other nutters are complaining that the RAF keeps Russian bombers out of our sky.
@Informed: here’s my reasoning for why Russia will never invade Ireland. Geography, we are thousands of miles away from Russia. For Russia to get here with an army big enough to take and then hold this country they would need to assemble a massive fleet of warships and troops ships and transport ships to get their soldiers and mechanised military equipment here. Now say it did amass said fleet it will then have to send that fleet from Russia to here, do you know how many of Russia’s enemies are between Russia and Ireland?. Do you really think they will all do nothing and allow this fleet to pass all of their nations and Russia the possibility of a sneak attack or flank them. Then say by some miracle all of Russia’s enemies between here and Russia didn’t stop this fleet and they got here.
@Informed: What would they achieve? We share a border with a NATO member that allows free movement, they’ll have to use thousands of troops to stop that. We obviously have a large coast they’ll need to keep warships to patrol to keep out NATO’s 3 biggest navies, they’ll also have to use warships to maintain a supply line back to Russia. A lot of hassle for them to go to just to end up with an invasion force that would be better completely surrounded by NATO and its navy dangerously stretched to be picked off by NATO. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if another World war breaks, it’ll be the Americans who land troops in this country to secure Shannon. The US is more of a threat to this country than Russia
@Ger Whelan: they could just claim to be ukrainian refugees and we would pay for there flights. We would even fuel up there tanks for them.
@Ger Whelan: the Russians don’t need to send an army here, all they need is to sabotage our power lines and communication’s abilities to send us back to the dark age’s.
@Jimmy Kiely: How do they plan to sabotage our power lines? Missiles? Planes?, again will all Russias enemies between us and them allow missiles and planes to fly over their territory?. Under sea cable?. None I’m aware of go out the Atlantic way. So how do they destroy our power cables?
@Ger Whelan: plus we have the Cork fishermen too!
@Ger Whelan:
They are going about it in a different way. By their contacts with the useful idiots we have here, who are filling people’s heads with grit and big lies.
Hoping to end up with a Kremlin friendly government.
@Ger Whelan: you don’t need missiles or planes to take out power lines or communications, a well placed few bombs and we are in the dark ages again.
@Jimmy Kiely: whatever you say Jimmy. What ever you say.
@H Woo: They don’t have any contacts with useful idiots here. Nobody on here is actually working for Russia. The fact that people like you believe there are is more scary than anything. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet lad.
@Gavin Smartr: ‘Smartr’ by name, not by nature.
@Ger Whelan: yawn
“Birds of a feather flock together”
@thomas molloy: two totalitarian terrorist countries
@Lei tatt: Just the same as the terrorist regime in Israel.
Delivering back the dead North Koreans bodies in exchange for more live one’s
How desperate Russia must be when it’s relying on north Korea for help. How the once mighty have fallen.
@Paddy Ryan: yep , the “mighty russia” keeps bowing to north korea every month.
@Paddy Ryan: they were on the brink but now Donnie is doing their bidding. He’s a Russian asset.
This is just another reason why Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO when this conflict eventually ends. Putin and his defenders on this site (Ger Whelan, RP McGuinness, Joe Willis etc.) often whinge about the supposed “disgraceful” nature of having peacekeepers from other European countries in Ukraine because it would cause “dangerous escalation” or whatever other Kremlin rhetoric that they spout, but they’re silent on the fact that there are North Korean soldiers on the frontlines, shooting at Ukrainian soldiers and attacking Ukrainian towns. Are they so blind that they don’t see the rank hypocrisy? How do NATO peacekeepers represent a “dangerous escalation” but North Korean soldiers who are literally engaged in the fighting do not? Oh wait, they don’t think, they just parrot rubbish.
@William Jennings: Spot on and well said. It’s hard to get your head around people supporting Putin. It’s not hyperbole to call him a complete gangster and tyrant. He murders people for the crime of having a different opinion. Do these people not realise that at some point, when they bump into something they disagree about, he’d happily poison them too?
@SerotoninWars: William is both more than a pro NATO radical who wants NATO to go into Ukraine and force Russia out of Ukraine, he doesn’t give a damn about the rest of the world and if you don’t agree with him he’ll label you Pro Putin. For instance, I said that Zelensky should have used the time from the presidential election results to trump taking off to open up peace negotiations with Russia while Ukraine still had the full backing of the US behind it, giving it a stronger negotiating position. It may have to give up territory but it’ll get NATO membership in return. William there was furious at such a thought and now labels me Pro putin. Now Ukraine finds itself with no chance of NATO membership and is still going to lose territory because of trump. Who didn’t see that coming
@SerotoninWars: Best thing to do is mute the Madman. Then you don’t have to see his rants
@Ger Whelan: I’ve disagreed with William on several issues previously, but I’m a firm believer in finding common ground and allowing people to blow off a bit of steam without it meaning that you can’t ever agree on anything. For a lot of people – this is a black and white issue. Russia is the aggressor. Russia started this. The more leeway Putin gets, the more emboldened he feels.
What you are saying might feel like a reasonable trade off but what message does this send? Why should Putin be rewarded or walk away with a single thing he craves? He is responsible for this. All the death and destruction and heartbreak is on him. Some things can’t be bartered away. ‘If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything’.
@William Jennings: you poor deluded fool. Show me the evidence of North Korean troops. We can see all the other burned and twisted wreckage littering Kursk of NATO equipment but not a shred of credible evidence of North Koreans. Not even a video of a North Korean prisoner of war. Nothing. Zilch.
It’s another Ukrainian propaganda piece to justify, just as you have, the entry of NATO directly into the conflict.
@RP McGuinness: https://www.chosun.com/english/north-korea-en/2025/02/19/2TUJ44HQBVGJNJFEA6XD2A4IPU/
Whoopsie daisy, RP!
@SerotoninWars: You’ve hit the nail on the head. There are literally no trade-offs that come with bowing down to Putin and repeating his propaganda. He only cares about himself and he will have you killed if you step out of line in even the smallest way. Heck, you’ll be pushed out a window if he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning. Putin is a violent thug and the overwhelming evidence that he poisons any dissidents that escape and criticise him is clear as day. Russia is the aggressor and people like Ger Whelan immediately try to silence you whenever this basic fact is pointed out. There’s no middle ground, Russia launched a brutal invasion of Ukraine simply because they do not believe that Ukraine has the right to exist as a country and it should be absorbed into Russia.
@SerotoninWars: I have not once claimed Putin isn’t responsible for this or he should be rewarded for it. But let’s call a spade a spade here and admit something we all know and that is Russia will keep what it has taken. We may not like it but that’s the reality of the world we live in. But now with Trump in the white house Ukraine has little to no bargaining power. If they don’t accept trump’s conditions he’ll dump them cut all support and let Russia run wild and unchecked. No NATO, security guarantees and the US is taking its mineral rights. But hey we’ll just pretend everything is going great for Ukraine won’t we
@RP McGuinness: There were North Korean soldiers who surrendered to Ukraine last month and stated openly that they were from North Korea and were sent to fight in the conflict! Putin literally requested on live television that Kim Jong-Un send him over more soldiers while talking with his advisors in a press conference broadcast on RT News. Why would he request more soldiers from North Korea unless they were there in the first place? Why did Sergei Lavrov personally thank North Korea for sending Russia 10,000 troops to fight in Ukraine? You pro-Putin bots aren’t even remotely convincing anymore. South Korea’s intelligence agencies picked up this information and tracked North Korean troop movements months ago to the Ukrainian frontlines. The only person who you are kidding RP is yourself.
@William Jennings: Couldn’t agree more. It’s a borderline cliché at this stage, but there’s no escaping the historical precedent when the world tried to appease and reason with one of the most evil creatures that ever existed.
The most fundamental human right, is the right to disagree. Maybe people have become numbed out to it at this stage, but this dead eyed killer doesn’t even blink at murdering his own people. I don’t even want to try and get my head around how this becomes a minor detail in another day at the office.
If the world lies down he will be back – happily threatening all and sundry with nuclear weapons. The idea that he will stop and play nice if he gets to keep a bit of Ukraine is farcical.
@SerotoninWars: Everyone is quick to call me Pro Putin for giving my honest opinion. I don’t like that opinion i call a spade a spade. So please inform us how you honestly believe the war will end. Now how you would like it to end but how you really believe it’ll end. You are all quick to judge my honest opinion on how it’ll end so let’s see your honest opinion.
@Ger Whelan: The US is important, no question. But the reality is truly sinking in for so many in Europe right now. We can’t ignore it. We can’t fob it off. We can’t placate this guy. We will have to step up our game on all fronts.
I don’t believe Ukraine will be left on its own if the US withdraws support. We’ve already seen how quickly things can change. Look at the heartening solidarity between the UK and Europe again. Things felt incredibly different only 18 months ago. It’s blindingly obvious that the ‘more in common than what divides’ us mantra fits perfectly.
The reality you mention hasn’t come to pass yet. You might be surprised at just how much Europe digs in on this. Everyone knows what we’re dealing with. He can’t be allowed to win. We in Ireland might need to hop off the fence too. No one wants war, but sometimes it’s far worse to sit on the sidelines and let tyrants run rampant. Whatever form(s) it takes, we’ll need to contribute.
@SerotoninWars: “whatever form(s) it takes, we’ll need to contribute”. So if the EU and UK decide to go to war with Russia, you think Ireland should be fighting in that war?. Also how do you see that war ending? Russia going back to its borders like nothing has happened or with nukes flying? Reality is the EU has no military it’ll bark a good bark but it won’t and can’t do anything. When push comes to shove the UK will do what it always does as follow the US lead. NATO will fall in line with the Us also. Trump is getting everything he wants from the EU at the moment. Its NATO member states have been given permission to invest 800 billion to re-arm. How much of that 800 billion will be spent on lovely new weapons from the US?.
@SerotoninWars: Absolutely. The writing is on the wall for anyone who is interested in accepting basic historical facts. Putin has been behaving in an aggressive and imperialistic manner since he first took office back in 1999. In 2000, he sent Russian soldiers into the breakaway province of Transnistria to consolidate Russian control. In 2003, he sent soldiers into Ukraine for the first time, sending them onto islands in the Kerch Strait that Ukraine controlled. In 2008, he launched a full-scale invasion of Georgia that led to Russia controlling two provinces (South Ossetia and Abkhazia). In 2014, he sent soldiers into Eastern Ukraine to help the Russian separatists gain control of Donetsk and Luhansk while fully annexing Crimea. In 2022, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched.
@Ger Whelan: There are a lot of statements in there presented as facts, that we simply don’t know yet. This is a time of great upheaval and the idea that traditional norms will continue ie the UK blindly following the US is very much up in the air still. Europe may be relatively weak, but collectively not that weak. Remove the nukes and the world and its mother can see how weak the Russian army is. Begging other countries for soldiers along with making minuscule progress after 3 years of throwing everything at Ukraine.
As for Ireland – no one wants war. I’m as pacifist as they come, but sometimes you are left with no option. How can we sit there and hope for help at any future date while sitting it out and expecting everyone else to make the sacrifices? Whatever form it takes we can’t duck this one. Pacifism works up to a point and should be the ideal. Sometimes people come along who are so hellbent on domination and death, they simply have to be stood up to.
Unwieldy headline. May I suggest “Oh now we REALLY need to send our tax money to those heroic weapons manufacturers” or “If we don’t line the pockets of UvdL’s friends then those pesky Russkies will be landing up on Eblana Bay” or “Multi polar order taking a shape that will increase power in the hands of the few” or “Many apparent enemies are in lockstep and traveling in the same direction towards increased militarisation”
@Darth O’Leary: yawn
@Darth O’Leary: This misdirection is almost as good as your claim (a couple of years after the fact) that it was definitely “the brits” when Russian criminal hackers took down the HSE in a huge ransomware attack in 2021. Space cadet.
@honey badger: Show me a link to where I said ” it was definitely the Brits” that carried out that attack! I did say before that British spooky types like 77th brigade or Israeli Unit 8200 are active in Ireland. What has you so triggered as to be bringing made up storeys to your little hissyfit?
@honey badger: You lies got up voted very quickly. Shows the level of discernment around here or more likely the amount of shills on here
@Darth O’Leary: Oh dear. Do you remember the article on the threat of Russian espionage here, too? You did bring Israelis and the British into that. You, somehow, completely forgot to address the threat of Russian espionage in this country. Very odd behaviour, Comrade olearski.
@honey badger: link up where I said “definitely British or prove yourself a liar
@honey badger: Oh I’m working for the Russians now because I dislike increased militarisation. Your argument is non existent. Your line is that of Chatham House and your hypocrisy, just like there’s , regarding genocidal maniacs doesn’t need any more airing on here.
@Darth O’Leary: *theirs(for all my spelling fanatics out they’re)
@Darth O’Leary: … out ‘there’, Dim Bulb.
@Jack Hayes: Not a big fan of literary jokes or irony or connecting dots are you?
There isn’t a single iota of credible evidence of North Korean troops in Ukraine.
Everything presented so far has been photoshopped (badly) or blatantly false.
It’s up there with the Ghost of Kiev nonsense.
Just another I’m a litany of dumb propaganda stories pushed by Kiev and lapped up and amplified by the media.
How long now have we heard Putin has cancer, they’ve run out of bombs and missiles, they are fighting with shovels, they are stealing chips out of washing machines etc etc
Just dumb idiotic propaganda and lies concocted by the Ukrainians so they can corral the EU into giving them more money and ammo.
End this clown show now.
@RP McGuinness: What’s the weather like in Moscow? Just out of interest, how long are your shifts? How does it work – does someone create all the profiles and then someone else ctrl v’s the lies? Mad job ye have lads!
@RP McGuinness: this is a lie. The evidence is clear. Why are you a liar? Pathetic excuse for a human being, incelboi.
@RP McGuinness: nice try comrade Dimitry
@Lei tatt: So show some evidence then?. From everything I have seen and read the North Korean troops are fighting Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region of Russia. I’ve found nothing to suggest they have gone into Ukraine itself. Feel free to any you have found that shows them in Ukraine itself and I’ll take back my comments.
@SerotoninWars: Boo I’m under your bed too.
“You must be a Russian bot/troll etc” – the pathetic retort of the deluded left who can’t fathom that someone hasn’t swallowed all the rubbish spewed by RTE and Simple Simon.
Enjoy your echo chamber and Ukrainian propaganda.
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: I see you’ve got your knickers in a twist again lmao
@RP McGuinness: you sir, are an uninformed.
@RP McGuinness: your ma’s. Jog on, saddo nonce.
@RP McGuinness:
NK soldiers have been mostly confined to ops in Kursk
Sad that the mighty Russia needs help to fight Ukraine. That fact tells us that Russia is on a downward curve as a so called mighty power.
Some people have no luck. You’ve already been dealt as bad a hand as you can get – born into serfdom under one of the worst regimes on the planet – then you get shipped off to fight for Putin. The gangsters are tucked away in luxury, and you are forced to fight in one of the most heinous and unjust wars/attempted occupations in living memory. Imagine the pure misery of being cannon fodder for that psycho. History will neither forget nor whitewash Trump’s slobbering over the Poisoner in Chief. May nature run its course on the lot of them asap.
Straight to the comments to see all the left wing pro war BS.
Remember during all this propaganda that America are facilitating Israel . Ukraine are using paid soldiers and god knows what else .
They are ALL liars
@BL Music: America openly supports Israel. Ukraine publicises its international brigades. Putin thanks Korea, Iran and China for their help. What on earth are you talking about?
@Alan: Iranian drones are killing European people and the complicit media say nothing. Stockholm Effect controls cowering Irish media, they only attack Christian or Jewish people.
Amazing that the far-right squeal about free speech but adore our planet’s biggest opponents of it, so much hypocrisy.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: It’s just what they do isn’t it – lie and deny on repeat. The chink of light is that the lies will catch up on them. The penny will eventually drop that the great unwashed aren’t ’sick of winning’ but sick of watching even more money being extracted from them and redirected to the silver spoon rich kid billionaire class. Keep an ear out for the gnashing of teeth as the cost of living further escalates and it becomes undeniable that Dear Leader’s only achievements in office are bolstering his bank balance and dodging jail.
@SerotoninWars: They think they’re winning, but as you said, all they’re doing is cheering on Musk & Trump getting wealthier while their cost of living rises. So many shared traits with cults, crazy to watch!
@Jacintha Dumbrell: Amazing how all you can talk about is the far right.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: It really is! The main beneficiaries will be the film and documentary makers in the future, as the next generations look back in total bewilderment!
@SerotoninWars: agreed. The complete and utter stupidity of people supporting those who will ultimately take their freedom away is beyond belief.For example. Trump and Musk bang on about freedom of speech. And then arrest students exercising that right. I’m reluctant to mention Orwell, but it’s just so right you can’t avoid it. And it really takes the biscuit here when you have people on this site whose sole amusement seems to derive from being nothing more than contrarian. I wish I would be still around to see how they are depicted in the history books. Willing canon fodder.
From one Criminal to another.
SLAVA UKRAINE
It’s beyond me that why can’t the North Korean regime be toppled by the NK Military? These troops are entering foreign soil for the first time and they now see a world exists outside of their totalitarian state and sadly 95% of them will return or never return only in a box.
Fantastic to see that both parties have taken on and defeated the Ukrainian Nazi party led by a coke fuelled leader. Between the two of them and President Trump Ukraine is finished and nothing but a rare mineral mine.
@Rian O’Sullivan: Imbecilic troll comment.
@Jack Hayes: Yes indeed your one was thanks for admitting it.
“I’m so…”
It’s not the Russians or North Koreans I fear…
It’s the USA…
have your say