The Russian Foreign Ministry called the plans of the DPRK to strengthen its combat power in response to pressure from Seoul and Washington

“The steps planned in the DPRK to strengthen the military potential are a forced reaction to the unprecedented build-up of sanctions and forceful pressure on Pyongyang by Washington and Seoul,” he told RIA Novosti.

Thus, he commented on North Korea's preparations for the launch of a military satellite.

Earlier, the director of the department of international organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Pyotr Ilyichev, said that Washington, in its desire to break Pyongyang, which was recalcitrant to it, was obsessed with sanctions and only aggravated the situation around the Korean Peninsula.