Russia commenced direct commercial flights to North Korea on Sunday, signaling an deepening alliance that supports Moscow‘s ongoing military actions in Ukraine.
The inaugural flight from Moscow to Pyongyang, operated by Nordwind Airlines, departed Sheremetyevo Airport at 16:25 GMT. The journey to the North Korean capital is expected to last approximately eight hours.
Initially, this route will operate on a monthly basis, according to russia’s Ministry of Transport. Nordwind Airlines, which previously served Russian travelers to European destinations before EU flight bans, offered tickets for the flight at 45,000 rubles, equivalent to about $570.
“This is a past event,strengthening the ties between our nations,” an airport employee for Nordwind Airlines,who identified himself only as Oleg,told AFP. He did not disclose the number of passengers on board.
Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transport, Vladimir Poteshkin, stated via the ministry’s Telegram channel that this marks the frist direct flights between the two nations’ capitals in over 70 years of diplomatic relations.
The return flight from Pyongyang to Moscow is scheduled for Tuesday, as reported by Russia’s state news agency TASS.
Relations between Russia and North Korea have intensified, with the countries resuming train services on June 17 after a suspension as 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent years, the two nations have fostered closer military cooperation, with Pyongyang providing troops and weaponry for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. A mutual defense pact was signed last year,following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea.
North Korea confirmed in April for the first time that its soldiers were deployed to the front lines in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russian forces.
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