Russia summons Azerbaijan envoy over journalist detentions, RIA reports
MOSCOW, June 30 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it had summoned Azerbaijan's ambassador to Moscow over what it described as Baku's "unfriendly actions" and the "illegal detention" of Russian journalists working in the country.
Tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan rose earlier on Monday after the Kremlin said it disagreed with a decision by Azerbaijan to cancel Russian cultural events in response to the arrest in Russia of a group of ethnic Azerbaijanis suspected of serious crimes.
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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Watch: Kim Jong-un weeps over soldiers killed fighting for Putin
Kim Jong-un appeared to weep during a ceremony honouring North Korean soldiers who died while fighting alongside the Russian army. The North Korean dictator had tears in his eyes as he watched footage of the battlefield in an operatic show marking the one-year anniversary of Pyongyang's defence pact with Moscow. On a giant screen behind an orchestra, images were shown of Kim kneeling and placing his hands on a coffin draped in the North Korean flag. He gulped and breathed rapidly in the footage broadcast on state media. In separate clips, the 41-year-old was seen approving plans for North Korean military operations in Russia's Kursk region, where they deployed late last year to help Moscow drive out a Ukrainian bridgehead. The ceremony on Sunday came days after Kim inaugurated a new seaside resort, watching on as a citizen whizzed off the end of a curved water slide. Then he was accompanied on the weekend by his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who stood and applauded as a singer performed on stage in front of images of North Korean soldiers and tanks bearing the 'Z' symbol. According to the British Ministry of Defence, around 6,000 North Koreans have been killed or wounded while fighting in the Kursk region. Analysts said Kim's public acknowledgement of the cost of the operation may have been intended to soothe public discontent, although only six coffins were shown in the ceremony. North Korea 's supreme leader was shown approving plans for Kursk on three dates: October 22, December 12 and December 22 last year. Local media reports said he had issued 'offensive operations orders to special operations units', casting him rather than Moscow as directly responsible for their instructions. 'An open question' Vladimir Putin visited Kursk after Russia's army pushed the Ukrainian army out of its foothold in the country, which once spanned roughly 1000 square kilometres. North Korean soldiers initially suffered huge casualties as they charged at the Ukrainian lines across open fields. But they proved themselves on the battlefield over time, said Rob Lee, a senior research fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. 'It is an open question, if North Korea was not taking part, what the position of Kursk would be right now,' he said on the Russia Contingency podcast in March. 'Without them, [the Ukrainians] could probably have held the pocket longer.' Ukrainian officials Mr Lee spoke to 'had a pretty high opinion of the North Korean soldiers. They thought they're very physically fit, very tough, pretty competent '. 'Tactically, they were employed, I think, poorly by the Russians. But at the squad level, they have pretty good tactics, good marksmanship, and they don't surrender.' South Korea's National Intelligence said last Thursday that Pyongyang may deploy an additional 6,000 troops to support Moscow. Sergei Shoigu, a close ally of Putin, said that 5,000 construction personnel and 1,000 mine removal engineers would be dispatched this summer. Last year, Kim signed a mutual defence pact with Moscow, agreeing to send missiles, ammunition and troops to the battlefield. In return, South Korea's intelligence agency says that Pyongyang is likely receiving technical advice on satellite launches and missile guidance systems.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Germany sends navy to Arctic to counter Russia
Germany will send naval ships to the Arctic to counter increasing Russian military activity in the region. Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, said on Monday that the Bundeswehr (armed forces) would 'show its presence' in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions with patrol vessels. 'Maritime threats are increasing … Russia is militarising the Arctic. We are seeing an increasing activity of Russian submarines operating in that area,' Mr Pistorius said at a press conference in Copenhagen. 'As early as this year, Germany will show its presence in the North Atlantic and the Arctic,' he added. The announcement comes as Russia continues to build up its forces in the Arctic, where the melting of ice caps has opened up new shipping routes and access to raw materials. Moscow is also expanding its fleet of icebreaker ships and cargo vessels, with one senior official announcing plans last month to build at least five new icebreakers. At the same time, tensions between Western allies over the Arctic have increased due to Donald Trump's hopes of annexing the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland. Denmark's government announced in early 2025 that it would spend 14.6 billion kroner (£1.96bn) on building up security in the region, in tandem with Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which is also a Danish overseas territory. Speaking on Monday, Mr Pistorius added: 'Along the route, we will exercise with our allies in the region, and we have planned the first port call of a German navy ship to Nuuk in Greenland. We will then, for the first time, take part in the Canadian Arctic exercise, Nanook.' German submarines, patrol aircraft and frigates will be deployed to show 'our commitment to that region', he said. The new patrols are part of Germany 's wider goal of playing a much larger role in defending the West from Russia, in response to the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, has lifted government borrowing limits on defence projects worth more than one per cent of GDP and has vowed to make the Bundeswehr the 'strongest conventional army' in Europe. His new government has set itself a target of increasing defence spending to five per cent of GDP, in line with other Nato allies, ending a decades-long German policy of taking a back seat on global security. Berlin is also considering a return to conscription to help build up the Bundeswehr, while Mr Merz has announced a 500bn euro (£428bn) special fund to rebuild the country's crumbling infrastructure, which would be used as a transit network by Nato if war breaks out with Russia. The German navy has also taken the commanding role at CTF Baltic, a new multinational naval headquarters in Rostock, a city on the northern Baltic Coast, which monitors suspicious Russian ship activity in the region. Germany's navy deployed the Hessen, a frigate, to patrol the Red Sea last year as part of an EU mission to protect commercial ships from Houthi rocket attacks launched from war-torn Yemen.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un weeps over coffins of troops he sent to die in Putin's meatgrinder war in Ukraine
KIM Jong-un wept as he watched himself back draping flags over the coffins of North Korean troops he sent to die on Putin's front-line in Ukraine. Around 12,000 North Koreans were shipped over to fight for Russia - but they were ill-prepared for the battlefield and many were decimated. 7 7 7 Kim hosted a ceremony which remembered the soldiers taken out by Zelensky's brave army - and things got emotional for the tyrant. Thousands of North Koreans stood to attention in the vast auditorium, with Kim in the front row. Images of Kim draping the North Korean flag over soldiers' coffins were broadcast on a giant screen at the front while a huge orchestra played emotional music. Women in long dresses sang passionately and there was even a harp player stationed on the stage. Kim draped flags over at least six coffins, and could be seen resting his hands on them in reflection. Watching the scenes back, the dictator's eyes shone with emotion. Other members of the audience - which reportedly included North Korean and Russian soldiers - were also visibly moved. The state-run Korea Central News Agency hailed the gala for reaffirming the "ties of friendship and the genuine internationalist obligation between the peoples and armies of the two countries that were forged at the cost of blood. The event was attended by Russia's culture minster Olga Lyubimov, who was visiting the Hermit Kingdom to mark the first anniversary of the strategic partnership treaty. Signed last June by Putin and Kim, it included a mutual defence pact - guaranteeing they will protect one another. North Korea's 'Benidorm' to FINALLY open next week as tyrant Kim Jong-Un cuts ribbon - and Brits have signed up to visit The treaty is believed to have majorly ramped up co-operation between the nations. Moscow is understood to be providing Pyongyang with vital military technology - including blueprints for missile guidance systems and air defence weapons. And after months of speculation, the leaders finally admitted that North Korean troops had fought for Russia. Kim's men were first reported to be in Russia back in October, and the following month there was strong evidence of them on the battlefield. 7 7 7 They fought alongside Putin's men mainly in the Kursk region - an area of Russia which Ukraine took in a surprise incursion. Thousands of the North Koreans died, with analysts suggesting they were not prepared for the modern style of drone warfare. However, it was admitted that the Korean soldiers were ultimately instrumental in Russia winning back the land in March this year. As the rotten partnership blooms, North Korea is expected to send another 6,000 troops over to Russia later this summer. The military assistance has been slammed by concerned nations, including South Korea and Japan. Officials in Seoul have raised concerns that it violates UN sanctions on North Korea. 7
