Vladimir Putin’s journey from a working-class childhood in Leningrad to becoming a global figure mirrors this narrative. His transformation is deeply tied to Russia’s identity and the image it seeks to project to the world.

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday he is going to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "very quickly" after he takes office next week.

Trump says he will meet Putin after his inauguration, citing Putin's disappointment with the Ukraine war. Trump's national security advisor anticipates a call between the two leaders in the near future.

South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region haven’t expressed a desi

Two captured North Korean soldiers were questioned about fighting with Russian forces against Ukraine. And NBC News' Janis Mackey Frayer spoke with former North Korean soldiers now in exile about the brutal conditions they found serving in the country's army.

Russia has leaned on its increasingly close ally North Korea for supplies of artillery shells and ballistic missiles to prosecute a grinding war in Ukraine. In October, the partnership entered a new phase as Pyongyang dispatched thousands of soldiers to bolster Russia’s armed forces.