Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted 24 purebred horses to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in exchange for artillery shells used in the Ukraine war, reports said on Sunday.
Nineteen stallions and five mares of the Orlov Trotter breed, said to be Kim's favourite, arrived in Russia on Sunday as partial payment for North Korean artillery shells sent to Russia amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, The Times reported.
Two years ago, Pyongyang also received 30 Orlov Trotters, and Kim was seen riding a white horse in a propaganda video. Kim's picture riding a white stallion on Mount Paektu during a snowfall, released by state media in 2019, attracted significant attention on the internet.
The horses Kim rode also symbolise North Korea's heritage, as the country named its post-1950-53 Korean War economic recovery effort after the mythical winged horse, Chollima. One of North Korea's rocket boosters is also named Chollima-1.
According to analysts who talked to news agency Reuters, the imagery of Kim astride a white stallion was designed to instil confidence in North Koreans that they have a man of strength and destiny holding the reins of power.
Putin has also been famously photographed riding a brown horse while wearing wrap-around sunglasses, a gold chain, and army trousers.
In June, Kim gifted Putin a pair of Pungsan dogs, a local breed of hunting dog, as the bond between the two leaders appears to be growing stronger lately, amid increased diplomatic steps, including the signing of a “comprehensive partnership agreement”.
Putin also gifted Kim 447 goats in August.
