The Russian Air Force Il-62M, which carries the registration number RA-86559, was spotted at the Pyongyang International Airport in North Korea.
A review of satellite images available from Planet Labs shows that the Russian government’s aircraft appeared parked in front of the Pyongyang airport terminal at 11:28 a.m. KST on Aug. 2.
NK News, a U.S.-based news website covering North Korea, reported that the Il-62M flew from Moscow to Pyongyang on Aug. 1, arriving after 8 a.m. KST. and departed Pyongyang after 9 p.m. KST on Aug. 2, indicating it was on the ground for around 36 hours.
The aircraft is a VIP passenger plane used for military delegations, and it previously took Russian deputy defense minister Alexander Fomin and a team to Pyongyang for military talks in July 2019.
Given the type of plane, the visit was unlikely to involve pickup or delivery of major weapons systems, though some form of transfer of goods or payments cannot be ruled out.
Apparently, the Russian military delegation could have arrived to continue discussing cooperation between the two countries in the military-industrial sector.
RFF7203/RA-86559
🇷🇺russia still looking at 🇰🇵north korea for help militarily pic.twitter.com/eUOaB1aOow
— or (@twotime2equals4) July 31, 2023
Russia seeks to buy more munitions from North Korea for the war in Ukraine as Moscow grows increasingly dependent on foreign supplies, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Aug. 3, citing U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
Kirby said that according to U.S. intelligence, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented the request last week during his visit to Pyongyang on the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.