More than a dozen aircraft accompanied Russian leader Vladimir Putin on his trip to North Korea last week, NK Pro analysis shows, what appears to be an unprecedented number of planes for a foreign delegation that underscores the two countries’ sweeping effort to bolster ties.

At least 13 Russian planes were parked at Sunan International Airport when Putin arrived in the DPRK on June 19, Planet Labs satellite imagery shows. Data from the aircraft tracking service Flightradar24 suggests eight of them were passenger aircraft, including five Il-96 jets traveling with the Russian leader.

The number of planes