Russia says N. Korea's missile tests were 'legitimate' defensive measures: TASS

MOSCOW (Yonhap) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Tuesday that North Korea's missile tests were "legitimate" defensive measures in response to what he described as the United States' "provocations," Russia's state-run news agency reported.

Rudenko reiterated the stance of Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, who has defended North Korea's ballistic missile activities, which are prohibited under UN Security Council resolutions.

"This comes as a response from our (North) Korean friends to what is happening around the Korean Peninsula and to that provocative activity the United States has been developing jointly with its allies," Rudenko told TASS, adding it was "a legitimate measure" to ensure the North's defense capabilities.

Earlier in the day, North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, just five days after launching the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile at a lofted angle. The new ICBM is theoretically capable of reaching the US mainland when fired at a normal angle.

Rudenko also said the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed between Pyongyang and Moscow in June reflects the geopolitical reality shaped by the actions of the US and its Asian allies, according to TASS.

He said the actions include "flooding this region with weapons, deploying new cutting-edge systems there, including with a nuclear component and forming new military and political alliances," it noted.

The treaty includes a mutual defense clause under which the two countries will provide military support to each other if either one comes under attack.