On Jan. 6, North Korea's state media announced that the country had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. North Korea's nuclear test resulted in a predictable array of international condemnations, but Russia's harsh response to the North's belligerent action was especially intriguing.
Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vladimir Voronkov described North Korea's nuclear test as a clear violation of international law and a national security threat. Adm. Vladimir Komoyedov, the head of the Russian State Duma's defense committee echoed Voronkov's statement, calling North Korea's nuclear test "frightening" and urging the international community to contain the North's growing nuclear potential. Following from this rhetoric, Russian diplomats have engaged with their counterparts in the United States, Japan and South Korea. Russia has also not ruled out supporting tougher international sanctions against Kim Jong Un's regime.
Russia's hawkish response to North Korean belligerence appears to have at least temporarily halted the trajectory towards more favorable Russia-North Korea relations, cemented by joint military drills, Russian President Vladimir Putin's first-ever visit to the North, and the declaration of a year of friendship between the two countries. Russia's transformed North Korea policy in light of the hydrogen bomb crisis can be explained by two main factors. First, Russia wants to thaw relations with Japan to dilute its increased economic dependence on China. Second, Russia believes a mediation role in the Korean Peninsula would greatly bolster its international status.
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