Page 6 of Rodong Sinmun dated October 2, 2026, carries an article exposing NATO's confrontational manoeuvres, news of the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister's assertion that Japan is an untrustworthy country, the start of joint exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, military cooperation between Russia and Mongolia, epidemic prevention in Pakistan, an increase in automobile production in Thailand, forest protection in Sri Lanka, the arrest of terrorists in Vietnam, the status of epidemic spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cambodia and Japan, a fighter jet accident on a US aircraft carrier, flood damage in Ghana, and general knowledge about the origin of the nicknames of various countries of the world.

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NATO Frantically Clinging to Confrontation

Not long ago, the Prime Minister of Slovakia exposed the sinister confrontational schemes of the West. He denounced that today, when the attempt to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia through support for Ukraine has failed, some Western politicians are trying to bring about a clash between NATO and Russia. He noted that some war fanatics within NATO are attempting to turn the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine into a clash between Russia and NATO, and that we are facing a fateful danger.

This can be said to start from a sense of vigilance over NATO's unusual moves.

Recently, the intensity of NATO's confrontational offensive targeting Russia is rising unprecedentedly in all aspects.

The persistent military support for Ukraine is a concentrated manifestation of NATO's reckless confrontational scheme to weaken Russia politically and militarily.

NATO member states including Britain and France are continuously handing over fighter jets, drones and various missiles to Ukraine while seeking to further expand the confrontation with Russia. In June, NATO announced a new military support plan worth 70 billion euros for Ukraine. In addition, several NATO member states have embarked on joint development of armaments with Ukraine. With this, NATO has further revealed its vicious ulterior motive of using Ukraine to the very end in the political and military confrontation with Russia.

The West's behind-the-scenes manipulation, which incites Ukraine to reckless terrorist attacks against Russia, is producing serious consequences that are driving the European situation towards an even more catastrophic state.

The sharp increase in the number and scale of military exercises targeting Russia is also a dangerous factor amplifying security instability.

Following the "Arctic Edge 2026" exercise conducted by the US, Canada and Denmark in the Arctic in February, the "Cold Response" training, in which about 25,000 troops from 14 NATO member states including the US took part, was frantically conducted in the northern regions of Norway and Finland in March. Regarding the purpose of NATO's ceaseless offensive exercises in the Arctic, a Russian international affairs expert stated that it is above all to demonstrate that NATO is ready to conduct military operations against Russia in the Arctic.

In May, an unmanned craft exercise named "OPEX-26" was frantically conducted in the Black Sea waters, a major battlefield of the Russia-Ukraine confrontation, with the participation of NATO member states, arousing serious concern in the international community.

The manoeuvre of changing the deployment of NATO forces near Russia's borders is also an unprecedented situation since the Cold War.

NATO has decided to newly assign operational missions in the Latvian and Estonian regions to the German-Dutch Corps, its rapid response force.

In the past period, the northeastern corps alone was in charge of missions in the Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian regions. This time, however, dividing these regions among several corps is said to aim at rapidly deploying large-scale forces to the Baltic Sea region in the event of an emergency and raising the efficiency of command. Subsequently, NATO's forward ground forces were deployed in Finland, and recently a US-made missile complex capable of launching "Tomahawk" cruise missiles was deployed in Norway. With Finland lifting the comprehensive ban on the import, transport, supply and possession of nuclear devices that it had maintained since the 1980s, a foothold has been created for NATO nuclear weapons to be deployed near Russia's northern border.

NATO's provocative military actions, including continued support for Ukraine, intensified military exercises near the borders and changes in the deployment of forces, are arousing Russia's strong response.

Russia has expressed its tough stand of taking additional measures of a political and military-technical nature in response to NATO's reckless confrontational manoeuvres.

A spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated at a press conference: "Wherever a military threat to our country arises, that place becomes a legitimate military target of Russia. Russia advises the hotheads of Western Europe to take a sober look at the world and treat our warnings with seriousness."

Owing to NATO's reckless confrontational manoeuvres threatening Russia's sovereignty and security environment, instability in the European situation is deepening day by day.

Staff Reporter Un Jong Chol

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Assertion That Japan Is an Untrustworthy Country

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, in an interview with the newspaper Izvestia on September 28, asserted that Japan is an untrustworthy country.

Referring to the deployment of the US "Typhon" intermediate-range missile system on Japanese territory under the name of military exercises, he stressed that although the Japanese authorities assert that the missile system will be withdrawn after the exercises end, Russia cannot believe this.

He warned that Russia will certainly take countermeasures.

(Korean Central News Agency)

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Joint Exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Begin

The joint exercises of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, "Interaction-2026", "Search-2026" and "Echelon-2026", began in Russia on September 27.

About 2,000 troops and 350 pieces of military equipment are reportedly mobilized for the exercises.

The purpose of the exercises is to solve the problems arising in preparing and conducting joint operations to localize border conflicts.

It is reported that the troops will practise, through the exercises, methods of using various drones and unmanned complexes and practical methods of action taking into account special operation experience.

(Korean Central News Agency)

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Cooperation in the Military Field

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on September 29 that Russia and Mongolia had signed a document on strategic partnership in the military field. At the talks between the deputy defence ministers of the two countries held in Mongolia, the two sides reportedly signed a plan for strategic partnership in the military field for 2027-2031 for systematic and long-term cooperation.

(Korean Central News Agency)

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For Social Development and Stability

Efforts to Prevent Epidemics

Pakistan is directing efforts to the vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of polio. As a result of four rounds of vaccination conducted nationwide so far this year, the number of polio patients has decreased considerably compared to the previous period. In this country, about 20,000 patients occurred in the early 1990s, but the number decreased to 31 last year, and only 5 patients were registered this year as of September 29.

Increase in Automobile Production

In Thailand, automobile production in the period from the beginning of this year to August increased by 1.27% compared to the same period last year.

The production of electric vehicles increased significantly, the Industrial Association of this country announced on September 28.

Forest Protection Efforts

The government of Sri Lanka declared 20 forest districts as protected zones on September 26. The area of the new forest protected zones reportedly reaches about 9,538 hectares.

The number of forests designated as protected zones in this country has increased to 93.

Terrorists Arrested

Vietnamese police recently arrested three terrorists who had illegally crossed the border.

They were reportedly scheming to perpetrate terrorist and sabotage acts in Vietnam.

On September 28, the Ministry of Public Security of this country announced that the arrested persons had admitted to being members of a terrorist organization headquartered in the United States.

(Korean Central News Agency)

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Status of Epidemic Spread in Various Countries

- In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, confirmed Ebola cases increased to 8,067 as of September 26.

Among them, 3,901 died.

The World Health Organization is expressing serious concern that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the number of new confirmed cases is increasing rapidly every day and the fatality rate is being maintained at a high level.

- In the northwestern region of Cambodia, a resident was confirmed on September 27 to have been infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The infected person, an employee of a poultry farm, reportedly came into contact with chickens infected with avian influenza.

The Ministry of Health of this country announced that he is the sixth infected person to occur this year.

- In Japan, the number of influenza patients reported by about 3,000 sentinel medical institutions across the country during the week up to September 20 reached about 31,430.

This is reportedly an increase of more than 1.5 times compared to the previous week.

(Korean Central News Agency)

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Fighter Jet Accident on US Aircraft Carrier

A fighter jet accident occurred on September 28 on the US aircraft carrier "Dwight D. Eisenhower", which was anchored in the waters off the state of Virginia, USA.

On that day, a fighter jet caused an accident while landing on the aircraft carrier, injuring the fighter pilots and marines on the deck.

(Korean Central News Agency)

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Flood Damage in Ghana

In Hohe City, Ghana, a riverbank recently burst and caused a major flood. Local mass media reported on September 28 that the embankment collapsed as the river level rose sharply due to heavy rains.

Due to the major flood, hundreds of dwelling houses in the residential areas along the river were damaged and more than 3,000 flood victims occurred.

(Korean Central News Agency)

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World Knowledge

Origin of the Nicknames of Various Countries of the World (17)

- "Land of Cloves" (Tanzania)

Tanzania consists of the Tanganyika region, located on the coast of the Indian Ocean in eastern Africa, and the Zanzibar region, located about 30 km away across the sea.

Because cloves are abundantly produced in the Zanzibar region, which encompasses about 20 islands including Zanzibar Island, this country is called the "Land of Cloves".

Millions of clove trees grow in this region, and cloves are the dried flower buds of these trees.

Cloves are widely used in the food industry, cosmetics industry and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The clove production of this region is among the highest in the world and guarantees a large share of the world's clove demand.

- "Crossroads of the Continents" (Cabo Verde)

The name of this country, formerly called the Cape Verde Islands, was changed to Cabo Verde in 2014.

Cabo Verde, an island country in the Atlantic Ocean west of the African continent, is called the "Crossroads of the Continents" because it is located at a transportation hub of the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.

This country, composed of about 10 volcanic islands, serves as a relay base for ocean routes and a fishing base.

Before the opening of the Suez Canal, it was a place that had to be passed on the route from Europe around Africa to Asia, and even now it serves as a supply base for ocean-going vessels of various continents.

This country has an international airport where large aircraft can take off and land and a port where large ships can anchor.

- "Land of Roses" (Bulgaria)

Rose oil produced in Bulgaria, located in the Balkan Peninsula of Europe, is world-famous. Because of this, this country is called the "Land of Roses".

Between the two mountain ranges crossing the central part of this country lies a long valley about 100 km in length, and this is precisely the world-renowned Valley of Roses.

It is said that every year in late spring and early summer, this place is adorned entirely with rose blossoms and filled with the fragrance of flowers. Here, roses have been cultivated for hundreds of years since the 17th century.

The northern mountain range of the Valley of Roses blocks the cold winds blowing from the north, and the warm current of the Mediterranean brings humid air, thus making this place an ideal rose cultivation area.

When the flower-picking season arrives, the residents spend busy days. The time before sunrise is the best time for picking rose blossoms, because the petals contain the most oil at this time.

Every year when June comes, the Rose Festival is commemorated. On this day, grand celebratory events are held in the villages around the Valley of Roses with the participation of many people.

According to the people of this country, world-famous perfumes contain Bulgarian rose oil.

Staff Reporter