Shpalok was part of the first group of tourists to visit North Korea since it shut its borders at the start of the pandemic in 2020. In early February, she travelled to the country with 100 fellow Russian tourists on a four-day skiing trip.
In total, more than 200 Russian tourists have visited North Korea this year across three trips in February and March. Their accounts give a rare insight into life in Kim Jong-un's regime. Closely watched by government "minders", who restricted what they could see and where they could go, the Russian tourists described spending time in otherwise empty luxurious ski resorts.
Russia's access to the pariah state is no coincidence. It comes at a time when the two countries have been moving closer at an unprecedented pace, triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has emerged as Russia's largest supplier of weapons for Moscow's continuing war. In exchange, Russia appears to be sending North Korea food, raw materials and parts for weapons manufacturing, bypassing international sanctions.
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