On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted a significant treaty with North Korea, formalizing a mutual defence agreement as part of their strategic partnership.

This treaty, signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June in Pyongyang, obligates each nation to assist the other in case of an armed assault.

Russia’s parliament has sequentially ratified the agreement, with the upper house approving it this week following the lower house's endorsement in the previous month.

The agreement signifies an intensified cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since Russia's extensive military campaign in Ukraine began in February 2022.

According to reports from South Korea and Western nations, North Korea has been supplying Russia with military equipment, and Ukrainian experts claim to have identified remnants of these arms in Russian attack sites.

Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that North Korea dispatched 11,000 troops to aid Russia, some of whom have reportedly sustained casualties in conflicts, particularly in Russia's Kursk region.

However, Russia has yet to acknowledge any North Korean military presence within its forces.