Editor’s note: This is the first article in a multipart series examining the history of North Korea’s relationship with the Soviet Union and Russia and what it reveals about bilateral ties today.

On the face of it, North Korea’s ties with Russia look closer than they have been in decades.

Pyongyang has endorsed Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and the U.S. has alleged that the DPRK is supplying weapons for the war effort in exchange for technical assistance.

In September, DPRK leader Kim Jong Un discussedways to increase bilateral cooperation in a summit with Putin at a spaceport in