Russia shows North Korea's Kim missiles, bombers

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is on a visit to Russia, worrying the United States and its allies. (AP PHOTO)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers, hypersonic missiles and warships, accompanied by President Vladimir Putin's defence minister.

A smiling Kim was greeted in Russia's Knevichi airfield, about 50km from the Pacific city of Vladivostok, by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who saluted Kim. 

The North Korean leader then inspected a guard of honour.

The United States and South Korea fear the revival of Moscow's friendship with Pyongyang could give Kim access to some of Russia's sensitive missile and other technology while helping arm Russia in its war in Ukraine.

Shoigu showed Kim Russia's strategic bombers - the Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 - which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons and form the backbone of Russia's nuclear air attack force, Russia's defence ministry said.

"It can fly from Moscow to Japan and then back again," Shoigu told Kim of one aircraft.

Kim was shown asking about how the missiles were fired from the aircraft, at times nodding and smiling.

Shoigu showed him the MiG-31I supersonic interceptor aircraft equipped with "Kinzhal" hypersonic missiles. 

The Kinzhal, or dagger, is an air-launched ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads.

It has a reported range of 1500 to 2000km while carrying a payload of 480kg and can travel at up to 10 times the speed of sound (12,000km/h).

Russia's ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, told reporters Kim's program was "very intense" and it was not yet clear how long he would remain in Russia, Russian state news agency RIA reported.

After the aircraft and missiles, Kim inspected the warship of Russia's Pacific fleet in Vladivostok, where he was due to watch a demonstration by the Russian navy.

South Korea and the US said on Friday that military co-operation between North Korea and Russia violated United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang and the allies would ensure there was a price to pay.

Russia has gone out of its way to publicise Kim's visit and drop repeated hints about the prospect of military co-operation with North Korea, which was formed in 1948 with the backing of the Soviet Union.

For Putin, who says Moscow is locked in an existential battle with the West over Ukraine, courting Kim allows him to needle Washington and its Asian allies while potentially securing a deep supply of artillery for the Ukraine war.

Washington has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, which has the world's biggest store of nuclear warheads, but it is unclear whether any deliveries have been made.

Kim on Friday inspected a Russian fighter jet factory that is under Western sanctions.

He and Putin discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and deepening co-operation when they met on Wednesday. 

Putin told reporters Russia was "not going to violate anything", but would keep developing relations with North Korea.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters there had not been a plan to sign any formal agreements during the visit.

Russian diplomats said Washington had no right to lecture Moscow after the US had bolstered its allies across the world, including with a visit of a US nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to South Korea in July.

While in Vladivostok, Kim watched the first act of the ballet Sleeping Beauty, staged by St Petersburg's Mariinsky theatre, the RIA news agency reported. 

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store