North Korea–Russia relations

North Korea and Russia share close military and security relations. Both nations share interest in a geopolitical alignment in challenging the West. The two states share a border along the lower Tumen River, which is 17 kilometers (11 mi) long.

The Soviet Union occupied the northern part of the Korean Peninsula after the surrender of Japan in 1945. The Soviet Union was responsible for the creation of North Korea, and installed Kim Il Sung as the new nation's leader. After the proclamation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948, the Soviet Union became the first country to recognize it as the sole legitimate authority in Korea. The Soviet Union supported North Korea during the Korean War. North Korea received major Soviet military and political support during the Cold War. The personality cult around North Korea's Kim family was heavily influenced by Stalinism. China and the Soviet Union competed for influence in North Korea after the Sino-Soviet split in the 1960s, leading North Korea to seek autonomy from both nations. In 1961, the North Korea and the Soviet Union signed a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began to reduce aid to the North after 1985, favoring closer ties with South Korea. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, North Korea kept diplomatic ties with the Russian Federation, though ties stagnated under President Boris Yeltsin. Under President Vladimir Putin, the relationship initially deteriorated due to North Korea's nuclear program, which Russia opposed at the time. Russia condemned the 2006 North Korean missile test and supported sanctions against North Korea after subsequent nuclear tests. In 2012 Russia agreed to write off 90% of North Korea's debt to Russia. Relations started improving after 2018, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting Russia in 2019.

The two countries have grown significantly closer since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, North Korea became the third country to recognise the independence of the breakaway states of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in eastern Ukraine, leading Ukraine to terminate diplomatic ties. Beginning from September 2022, Russia reportedly purchased millions of shells and rockets from North Korea to aid in its invasion. In 2024, North Korea sent workers to Russia, which lacks workforce due to the war, and deployed troops into Kursk to support the Russia. In the same year, North Korea and Russia signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, formalizing a defense treaty between the two nations. Russia in turn started providing technological, military and economic aid to North Korea, and dropped its opposition to the North Korean nuclear program.