Russian reliance on North Korea signals how far Putin’s power has fallen since the Ukraine invasion

Senior North Korean and Russian military officials discussed strengthening cooperation in their November talks in Pyongyang, North Korean state media said, as the two countries continue to align over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The report came after South Korea’s spy agency, in a closed-door briefing to lawmakers, said it had detected signs of recruitment and training activities in North Korea, possibly in preparation for additional troop deployments to Russia.

While Russia is not a vassal state to North Korea in the way it has become dependent on China, the dynamic marks a seismic reversal of history. For decades, Pyongyang survived on Moscow’s aid and protection; now it is Putin’s Russia turning to Kim Jong Un for artillery, labor, and diplomatic backing.

The reversal underscores how dim