Page 33 - RusRPTOct23

2.17 Politics - misc
● International Politics
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un visited President Putin in Russia in September. Kim, who is known for being somewhat reclusive, hasn’t left the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since pre-pandemic in 2019. The Supreme Leader arrived
Tuesday via
in far-eastern Russia on
, accompanied by North Korean military
and government officials. There, alongside Putin, he
, a space facility located in the Amur oblast near
Russia’s border with China. This was followed by a banquet in his honor and
promises of future cooperation between the two countries. “We want to further
develop our relationship. We have always supported and support all decisions
of President Putin, as well as decisions of the Russian government,” Kim
in a toast. “We act in the name of peace, stability, and prosperity of our
common region,” Putin said, adding, “An old friend is better than two new
trafficking ring that recruits Cuban citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
the discovery of a human
The alleged human trafficking network “operates from Russia to incorporate
Cuban citizens living there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces
participating in war operations in Ukraine,” the Ministry said in
, Russia-based recruiters target Cubans
online, promising high salaries and Russian citizenship in exchange for signing
military contracts. For example, in the Facebook group “Cubans in Moscow,”
Cuban citizens were invited to sign a 1-year military contract for a 204,000
ruble ($2,080) salary and a Russian passport in six months. “I know they pay
very well and it’s a great way to make a lot of money quickly,” one potential
recruit told
a green armored train Vostochny Cosmodrome
ones.”
The Cuban Foreign Ministry announced
According to The Moscow Times
The Moscow Times.
toured Russia’s
said
a statement.
European Union officials had meetings with member states in the middle of September to outline the bloc's plan to impose a tax on profits from more than €200bn ($215bn) of frozen Russian central bank assets to help Ukraine. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will propose how to legally transfer revenue being generated by the assets to the bloc’s budget, according to a draft paper on the process. Russian central bank assets immobilised in the EU are expected to generate about €3bn in windfall profits. More than half of the assets are cash and deposits, and much of the remainder are securities that will turn into cash as they mature over the next two to three years.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the assets confiscated from Russian businessmen who fell under sanctions will be used to
33 RUSSIA Country Report October 2023 www.intellinews.com