Kim Jong-un’s paranoia was on full display after a meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of China’s World War II military parade.

Even surrounded by allies, like the Russian president, North Korea’s leader is going to extraordinary lengths to protect himself while travelling abroad.

Footage shared on a Russian Telegram channel showed staff ‘destroying’ all traces that the dictator had attended the bilateral talks in Beijing. 

They were seen taking away the glass he drank from and vigorously wiping down his seat and every part of furniture he had touched with wet wipes.

The most colourful explanation to the weird behaviour is Kim’s persecution complex.

Whatever the exact reason, the leader has long feared high-ranking traitors and defectors, and has faced multiple assassination plots – one allegedly organised by the CIA.

Less than a year ago, in October, the South Korean National Intelligence Service told parliament that Kim’s security detail had expanded its efforts to protect him, including by using communication-jamming devices and drone detection equipment.

The spy agency did not cite a specific threat against Kim – but noted that despite threats to his safety, he has been making more frequent public appearances.

In his own country, his appearances are normally carefully managed, with any foreigners present forced to go through hours-long security checks beforehand.

The exact security operation around Kim’s trip to Beijing remains veiled, but it is expected that he is flanked by security at all times.

Joined by Putin, he travelled from a formal reception to the negotiations in the same car, the Kremlin said in a post on social media.

After a bilateral meeting between Russian and North Korean delegations, the two leaders held a one-on-one meeting. 

Putin also invited Kim to visit Russia again, following on from the North Korean leader’s last visit to the country in 2023.

Speaking in front of journalists as the talks began, Putin praised the bravery and heroism of North Korean soldiers who fought alongside his own troops to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region.

According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last year.

It has also sent large quantities of military equipment, including ballistic missiles and artillery, to help fuel Putin’s three-year invasion of Ukraine.

In his opening remarks, Kim said that cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has ‘significantly strengthened’ since the two countries signed a strategic partnership pact in June last year during a summit in the North Korean capital.

Although he did not specifically mention the war, Kim stressed that ‘if there is anything I can do for you and the people of Russia, if there is more that needs to be done, I will consider it as a fraternal duty, an obligation that we surely need to bear, and will be prepared to do everything possible to help.’

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New nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), giant underwater drones and laser weapons have been unveiled in China’s military parade today in a show of strength against the West.

China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un grinned as the weapons were being displayed during the commemoration of the end of World War II in Beijing.

This is the Chinese leader’s third parade on Tienanmen Square – equaling the total of his three immediate predecessors – so he has proven that he knows how to throw on a good spectacle for other authoritarians.

Much of the weaponry and equipment in the parade is being shown to the public for the first time, according to Chinese media.

One of them is the DF-5C, a new variant of the Dongfeng-5 nuclear ICBM, which is carrying as many as 12 warheads.

It is a two-stage missile that uses liquid fuel, which means its trajectory is propelled by two consecutive rocket stages, each with its own engine.

The missile is capable of striking targets across the globe, including the Western Europe and mainland America.

Hypersonic anti-ship missiles – which China has previously tested against mock-ups of US aircraft carriers – were also paraded.

Those included the Yingji-19, Yingji-17 and Yingji-20.

Multiple other cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles – some equipped with ‘all-weather combat capabilities’ – were shown off as well.

The parade featured drones that can operate underwater and in the air, as well as unmanned helicopters designed to be launched from ships.

The AJX002 underwater drone was a standout.

With a long, black tube-shaped craft, it looks like a narrow submarine with a rear propeller.

The sea-based systems included submarines, surface vessels and a mine-laying system.

Another anticipated weapon was also unveiled – the LY-1 laser, which was mounted on top of an eight-wheeler HZ-155 armoured truck.

As Metro reported yesterday, this is billed to be the ‘world’s most powerful laser defence system’.

Marching in the parade were the traditional People’s Liberation Army (PLA) units from the navy and army, but also new ones like the cyberspace unit.

The new unit is in charge of cybersecurity defense measures, according to the official Xinhua news agency, and also participated in live-fire drills.

Another debut was the information support force, created in 2024 to build network information systems to support military combat readiness.

This is the first major military parade in the People’s Republic since 2019 on the 70th anniversary of the founding of communist China.

Yet, for many in the West, the defining image of the grand show of military might is not the parade of nuclear missiles, stealth fighter jets, or drones.

It is the sight of Xi, Putin and Kim standing side by side, smiling and joking in an unprecedented show of solidarity against the West.

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Big smiles, hearty laughs, warm hugs…

The atmosphere at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China feels more like a school reunion, where old classmates compare how much weight they have put on.

Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi – who represent the top three largest powers not aligned with the West – are shown joking like friends as they greet each other at the event earlier today.

It starts with Russia’s president and India’s prime minister holding hands and walking into a meeting hall filled with other world leaders. 

They head straight for China’s president Xi Jinping, enthusiastically shake hands and form a close circle.

In his remarks to open the talks, Modi then describes the partnership with Russia as ‘special and privileged.’ 

And Putin them addresses Modi as a ‘dear friend’ and hails Russia’s ties with India as special, friendly and trusting.

As intended, this anti-Western coalition – dubbed the ‘axis of upheaval’ – appears united to offer an alternative world order, challenging the US.

Keir Giles, a leading analyst on European defence and Russia at Chatham House in London, told Metro that the relationships on display are ‘a visual reminder of the way alliances have formed in the global confrontation.’

He added: ‘The coalition that stands against the liberal democracies has a mutual understanding, which is far more developed and purposeful than that of the group of Western democracies, which are still floundering on how to defend themselves.

‘To some extent, it does represent a broad consensus about how the world should be run – and it is a very different consensus to the one that prevails in Europe and in other Western democracies.’

What Giles thought was ‘most disturbing’ is the way this close relationship on display between Russia and China was ‘mimicked’ by Donald Trump during the summit in Alaska earlier in August.

He explained: ‘Trump also welcomed Putin as though he was greeting an overlord rather than dealing with a pariah state that is vastly weaker that his own.

‘The Alaska Summit is a confirmation that the US’ place in the coalition of democracies is no longer assured.

‘The way in which the US has been so eager to pursue Russia’s desired policies with regards to Ukraine and elsewhere is not a surprise, but still seems to shock to Europe and other democracies around the world.’

The SCO, set up in 2001, is the successor to the Shanghai Five, a grouping of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, set up in 1996.

It now also includes India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus and Uzbekistan. It is aimed at strengthening relations among member states and promoting cooperation in political affairs, economics, and trade.

Xi told the SCO leaders that the global international situation is becoming more ‘chaotic and intertwined’.

The Chinese leader also slammed the ‘bullying behaviour’ from certain countries – a veiled reference to the US.

He added: ‘The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging.

‘With the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit…and better perform the functions of the organisation.’

Putin used his speech to defend his invasion of Ukraine, blaming the West for triggering the three-and-a-half year war.

He warned: ‘This crisis was not triggered by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West.

‘The second reason for the crisis is the West’s constant attempts to drag Ukraine into Nato.’

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The youngster went missing in early July.

Oliver was last seen in Marbella, where he lives with his separated parents (Picture: CNDES)

One of Vladimir Putin’s mouthpieces has waded into the case of a British toddler who is feared to have been ‘abducted’ by his Ru…

At least one person was killed and dozens were injured, including children.

‘A new start… Guaranteed housing and Russian language lessons… Every six months brings a promotion and a salary increase.’

This is how South African influencers – with millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram – promoted a recruitment drive for the Russian republic of Tatarstan, that has now been linked to human trafficking.

DJ and social media influencer Cyan Boujee – who has since apologised – is among those who gushed about the ‘opportunity’ after being flown to Eastern Europe.

Standing in front of a block of flats build for recruits from Africa, she told her followers about how the programme is a ‘fresh new start,’ adding that ‘apparently girls are treated fairly here – Africans, Asians, Latin Americans’.

It is unclear what work new hires will do, but the programme targets young women aged 18 to 22.

Behind the sleek PR campaign, plugged by influencers, lie claims of human trafficking, coercion and African women being funnelled into ‘death’ factories to build drones for Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

One of the main recruiters is Alabuga Start, which is linked to the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ) – a major player in Russia’s war economy.

Foreign women funnelled into drone factories

Last month, Metro reported on a factory – described by its director as the world’s biggest maker of strike drones – in Alabuga.

Footage shared by the Russian Zvezda news channel showed hundreds of assembled Geran-2 suicide drones, made using modified Iranian Shahed 136 technology.

Russia has been actively recruiting hundreds of foreign women through the ‘international vocational training programmes’.

They are promised professional training and decent pay, only to be forced into drone assembly, a report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime found.

After initially targeting African countries, Alabuga Start expanded to recruit women from Latin America, South Asia, and former Soviet countries.

Reports found that they were not informed that they would be working in weapons production before arriving at the site.

Some believed they were joining a work-study programme. 

The economics of it make sense. Russia is facing a major gap in the labor market caused by its aging population and the loss of rumoured 1 million men on the Ukrainian frontline.

At the same time, a third of the workforce in South Africa is unemployed.

In fact, its official unemployment rate is one of the highest in the world, so an increasing number are seeking opportunities abroad.

Influencers issue apology after major backlash

After facing backlash online, a number of South African influencers are now deleting videos en mass.

Boujee issued an apology on Tuesday, saying that she knows ‘how serious the situation is, and the team is in communication with the programme.’

Peachy Sprinkles (real name Siyamthanda Anita), who also endorsed the recruitment drive to her almost 800,000 followers, has also released a statement.

She said: ‘A few months ago, the marketing team from the Start programme in Russia reached out to me with intentions of a potential collaboration, saying that they are offering job opportunities to young South African individuals, and they would like us creators to put it out there.

‘Naturally, obviously, you do your research. I didn’t do extensive research, which might reflect as negligence on my end. I deeply apologise for that.’

Russia responds to ‘human traficking’ claims

The South African government said it is investigating the claims about the Alabuga Start programme.

DClayson Monyela, the deputy director-general (DDG), warned: ‘Do not rely solely on social media promotions.

‘Always cross-check and get a second opinion from a trusted source. Verify jobs through official channels.’

The Russian Embassy in South Africa also released a statement, saying that it has ‘taken note’ of the concerns.

It said: ‘Many of the commentators were quick to accuse Russia of “human trafficking” and “exploitation” based on unfounded allegations.

‘It needs to be stressed that the Embassy has no information, apart from that spread through some biased outlets, of foreign nationals being subjected to forced labour, tricked into some actions, or otherwise experiencing violation of their rights in the course of the programme.’

Metro has contacted TikTok and Instagram for a comment.

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Vladyslav is already considering going back to war, his brother said: ‘He said those bastards should feel what he and seven of his fellow soldiers felt.’

The Air China plane was bound for Beijing.

Natalia Nagovitsina, 47, is stuck at nearly 23,000 ft on the Pobeda peak in Kyrgyzstan after fracturing her leg on her descent on August 12.

Ukraine sparingly uses Western-made missiles, including UK Storm Shadow missiles, to strike inside Russia, but the weapons are vital in their defence as they continue to face Russian strikes.

‘In a kill zone, where her remains are, it is impossible to recover them because whoever you send will also die.’

The well-known climber has been trapped for more than a week.

‘There are two choices: war or peace, and if there is no peace, then there is more war’

Alexander Frolov protesting outside the Russian Embassy in London, March 2024 (Picture: Perkin Amalaraj/Daily Mail)

A 26-year-old Russian who protested against Putin’s regime has been found dead in London after his asylum bid was rej…

Alexander Frolov protesting outside the Russian Embassy in London, March 2024 (Picture: Perkin Amalaraj/Daily Mail)

A 26-year-old Russian who protested against Putin’s regime has been found dead in London after his asylum bid was rej…

The elephant in the room is a potential meeting between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky – is it even feasible?

‘There are no words.’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders rushed to the White House three days after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.

Vladimir Putin’s twitching legs as he bade farewell to Donald Trump after their Alaska summit have reignited rumours over his health.

‘They were two powers of equal strength.’

Democrat Hillary Clinton admitted she would nominate President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize – but there’s a catch.

The presidents are set to meet over a ‘working breakfast’.

New details have been released after a ruling by the information watchdog.

Russian state aircraft have been spotted heading to Alaska.