North Korea’s Missile Administration successfully conducts a test-fire of the Hwasongpho-11-Da-4.5, a new tactical ballistic missile, equipped with a 4.5-ton warhead on Sept. 18, 2024, in this file photo provided by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
MOSCOW, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Tuesday that North Korea’s missile tests were “legitimate” defensive measures in response to what he described as the United States’ “provocations,” Russia’s state-run news agency reported.
Rudenko reiterated the stance of Russia’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., Vasily Nebenzya, who has defended North Korea’s ballistic missile activities, which are prohibited under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
“This comes as a response from our (North) Korean friends to what is happening around the Korean Peninsula and to that provocative activity the United States has been developing jointly with its allies,” Rudenko told TASS, adding it was “a legitimate measure” to ensure the North’s defense capabilities.
Earlier in the day, North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, just five days after launching the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a lofted angle. The new ICBM is theoretically capable of reaching the U.S. mainland when fired at a normal angle.
This undated file photo from Russia’s state-run news agency TASS shows Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. (Yonhap)
Rudenko also said the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed between Pyongyang and Moscow in June reflects the geopolitical reality shaped by the actions of the U.S. and its Asian allies, according to TASS.
He said the actions include “flooding this region with weapons, deploying new cutting-edge systems there, including with a nuclear component and forming new military and political alliances,” it noted.
The treaty includes a mutual defense clause under which the two countries will provide military support to each other if either one comes under attack.
On 19 September, North Korea announced that it had successfully test-fired a new short-range ballistic missile(SRBM) with a heavy conventional warhead. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution)
(Yonhap)
