A short film about “international solidarity” between the two countries “against Western imperialism” was broadcast non-stop, as hundreds of schoolchildren and members of the public walked past.
In promotional material, the museum says it conducts “patriotic programs and missions” for school groups, and its “Children’s Center” is described as “a unified space for civic-patriotic education of students in educational institutions.” On Wednesday, some of them chanted slogans while participating in a patriotic training exercise.
“We should not be surprised that there is now open recognition of the role that North Korean troops are playing in the Russian attack on Europe, since semi-serious denials of this fact ceased some time ago,” said Keir Giles, a senior consultant at Chatham House, a London-based think tank.
“What’s more interesting is the way this is presented to the Russian public, because a central element of Russian great power status is that Russia does not need help from other countries. It is completely independent and sovereign in the sense that it can manage its own affairs,” he said in a telephone interview on Friday.
“So this indicates a gradual change, possibly an attempt to bring about a gradual change in Russia’s understanding of its place in the world, where previously, the presentation of an Asian ally as essential for Russia to achieve its objectives would have been unthinkable,” Giles added.
South Korea’s intelligence agency estimated last month that around 2,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed in the war, which entered its fourth year in February.
Attempts to end the fighting stalled this week when President Donald Trump confirmed that a second summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war had been cancelled.
The United States subsequently imposed substantial sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, the first economic punishments levied on Moscow by Trump during his second term.
The move was met with anger in Russia, although Putin told reporters Thursday that it “will not have a significant impact on the health of our economy.”
The role of Western nations in the war, including the United States, was displayed in another gallery of the Victory Museum. Beneath banners reading “Weapons of the West” were American Humvees, a burned Bradley fighting vehicle and an M1 Abrams battle tank, along with other military equipment and British helmets.
These are the trophies of the “special military operation” and proof of the defeat of NATO technology, according to signs in Russian near the exhibition.
