The North Korean leader conducted a tour of the Far East and Primorye
Chairman of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un completed a six-day visit to Russia on September 18. During his 13 years in power, he has never been so magnificently welcomed, and the programs of foreign trips have never been so intense. Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on September 13 at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, they visited the Vostochny cosmodrome together, where they inspected the launch complex and the launch pads of the Vostok and Angara family launch vehicles, talked for a total of over five hours.
During a previous visit to Russia in the spring of 2019, the DPRK leader spoke with Putin on Russian Island for only one and a half to two hours. Then the meeting was described as "quite thorough" and "meaningful", but no agreements were reached – in any case, they were not voiced in the public field. Now, in the West, few doubt that the result will be, and mainly through military and military-technical cooperation.
In addition to the head of the Russian state, during his visit, Kim talked with the Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov – he gave explanations to the distinguished guest when visiting the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Gagarin Aviation Production Association (KNAAPO). The newsreel captured the chairman of the DPRK in the workshops of the final assembly of Superjet-100 airliners and Su-35S multipurpose fighters. The next-generation Su-57 combat aircraft did not get into the frame, but it is known that it is also assembled at KNAAPO in the same place as the Su-35S.
Perhaps the hottest news that sounded during the days of the North Korean leader's visit was about an air–to-surface cruise missile of increased flight range, which had not been mentioned anywhere in the open press before. We are talking about the X-DB product with a launch range of over 6.5 thousand km.
In a video distributed on September 16 by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MO RF), the commander of the Long-range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces Sergey Kobylash explains that the armed X-DB strategic bomber Tu-160 is a serial sample from the composition of one of the combat units. Together with many other aircraft, the aircraft was in the lineup at the Knevichi airfield. Through the doors of the payload compartment, which were open for display, a drum set for placing and launching cruise missiles could be seen. Since 2014, long-range bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces have been using products of the X-555 and X-101 type against targets in Syria and Ukraine in a combat situation. As can be understood from the video of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on September 16, by now the arsenal of the Tu-160 has been supplemented with an even longer-range X-BD missile.
The front-line bomber Su-34 and the high-altitude high-speed interceptor MiG-31 converted into a carrier of the hypersonic missile "Dagger" were also exhibited at the Knevichi airfield. A couple of days earlier, RIA Novosti published an article that the Dagger, which until recently was exclusive to the MiG-31I (as part of the Dagger complex), is now also used by the Su-34.
Kim Jong-un's curiosity was not limited to aviation and rocket technology. He also inspected the ships of the Russian Navy at the main base of the Pacific Fleet (TOF). On the Vladivostok raid, he was received on board the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov. The DPRK state television accompanied its report from the scene with the words: "The servicemen of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy make a great contribution to ensuring peace and security in Northeast Asia and around the world." And the distinguished guest himself left an entry in the book of honorary visitors of Marshal Shaposhnikov and also noted the role of the TOPF in upholding "justice and peace".
Marshal Shaposhnikov was built at the end of the Soviet period in Kaliningrad under Project 1155 as a large anti-submarine ship (BOD). A couple of years ago, the BOD underwent a deep modernization, after it was changed its classification. The Rastrub anti-submarine complex was replaced with a universal Kalibr-NK with ammunition of 16 cruise missiles. They can be of three types: anti-submarine 91P, anti-ship 3M-54 and strike 3M-14, which has much in common with the aforementioned X-101 and X-555. Recently, instead of some of them, a hypersonic "Zircon" can be installed in the launch cells.
The Admiral Gorshkov, the lead frigate of Project 22350, became the first carrier of the Zircon in the domestic fleet. Following him, Severnaya Verf in St. Petersburg built the first serial - Admiral Golovko, which is currently completing acceptance tests in the Baltic. On the eve of Kim's visit, a meeting was held at the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet, where, in particular, it was said that the Golovko would be accepted into the Russian Navy by the end of this year, together with the strategic submarine project 955A "Emperor Alexander III" and the multipurpose submarine project 885M "Krasnoyarsk". It was also said that over the past 10 years, the Russian Navy has received more than fifty ships. This year, the navy has already accepted a couple of new surface ships from the industry (including the Mercury corvette of Project 20380 built in St. Petersburg for the Black Sea Fleet), and are preparing to accept 12 more combat units.
In Vladivostok on September 17, the North Korean leader held talks with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, noting "the modernity and heroism of the Russian Armed Forces, reliably protecting the sovereignty and interests of the development of the state." According to the state radio "Voice of Korea", the Generalissimo of the DPRK and the General of the Russian Army discussed issues on the situation in the world and interaction between the armies of the two countries. The negotiators "exchanged views on regional and international military-political circumstances and constructive opinions on issues related to further strengthening tactical and strategic cooperation, cooperation and mutual exchanges between the armed forces of the two countries, as well as in the field of defense and security," the Voice of Korea reported.
The lack of details about possible mutual supplies of weapons, military and special equipment (VVST) generates a lot of speculation in Western countries. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller sees the vector of development of cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang as "quite alarming and could potentially violate numerous UN Security Council resolutions." Washington is concerned about the possible Russian assistance promised to the leader of the DPRK in the further development of missiles and launch vehicles.
White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby noted the "strong dependence" of the Russian army on artillery, and suggested that "the supply of artillery ammunition was key during Kim Jong-un's visit." The head of the sanctions coordination Department of the US State Department, James O'Brien, believes that Russia is "scratching at the bottom of the barrel" trying to rake out all the ammunition stored in warehouses to continue the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine, and therefore begs Pyongyang for shells of "Soviet calibers" (122, 130 and 152 mm) for the corresponding artillery systems.
"Russia's dependence on North Korea and Iran has shown its difficult situation in connection with the war in Ukraine," says US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. As follows from the reasoning of the American press, mass deliveries of North Korean-made missiles and projectiles can ease the situation. One of the publications cites the assessment of an unnamed White House employee by name that Pyongyang is ready to send about 10 million artillery shells to its northern neighbor, and with them several types of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and tactical missiles (TR) superior in power to American MLRS complexes/TR family M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS. This pair is supplied by Washington and its allies in the military-political bloc of NATO to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). If the Russian army receives North Korean systems, it will be able to use them during the counter-battery fight against the M270 and M142, gaining an advantage in strength and firing range.
In the context of possible supplies of North Korean weapons to the zone of a special military operation in Ukraine, Western media cite the words of Sergei Shoigu, said live on the TV channel "Russia 1". The Defense Minister believes that, apart from victory in Ukraine, "we have no other options." "The troops are engaged in keeping an active defense in the right and necessary directions… But the main task is to knock out and knock out equipment... to knock out personnel – everyone who has been continuing the counteroffensive for months," Shoigu explained.
Vladimir Karnozov
