An inconspicuous article about Liberation Day postage stamps that ran in North Korea’s party-run newspaper this week laid bare how official propaganda narratives about the Soviet Union have quietly shifted, in an issue of more relevance than ever as the DPRK and Russia bolster military cooperation and celebrate their historical ties.

The Rodong Sinmun article published on Aug. 10 reported that North Korea issued two postage stamps in June 1950 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule, describing stamps as “witnesses and recorders of history” because their designs reflect a country’s social circumstances at the time of issuance.