A short film on “international solidarity” between the two countries “against Western imperialism” was played on loop in front of hundreds of schoolchildren and citizens.
In its promotional materials, the museum says it organizes “patriotic programs and quests” for school groups, and its “Children’s Center” is described as “a unified space for civic and patriotic education of students of educational institutions.” On Wednesday, some of them chanted slogans as they took part in a patriotic training exercise.
“We should not be surprised that there is now open acknowledgment of the role North Korean troops are playing in Russia’s assault on Europe since semi-serious denials of this ceased some time ago,” said Keir Giles, a senior fellow at Chatham House, a London-based think tank.
“What’s more interesting is how this is presented to the Russian public, because an essential element of Russia’s 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, perhaps an attempt to bring about a gradual change in Russia’s understanding of its place in the world, whereas previously, presenting an Asian ally as essential for Russia to achieve its goals would have been unthinkable,” Giles added.
South Korean intelligence estimated last month that about 2,000 North Korean troops 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 was postponed.
The United States then imposed substantial sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, the first economic sanctions imposed 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 on display in another gallery of the Victory Museum. Beneath banners reading “Weapons of the West” were American Humvees, a burned-out 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 NATO’s technological defeat, according to signs in Russian near the screen.
