Erin Molan: Russia and Kim Jong are bonding in hellfire

I hate always being the bearer of bad news, but when it comes to writing about our national security and the state of the world, I don’t have much choice right now, writes Erin Molan.

I hate always being the bearer of bad news, but when it comes to writing about our national security and the state of the world, I don’t have much choice right now.

The issue of national security is one that can seem less significant in day-to-day life than it actually is. It’s one of those things that many of us just assume our government will handle. In other words, it’s well beyond our pay grade!

In a perfect world that would absolutely be the case. How could any of us on our own make any difference in such a complex and high stakes space? In times of peace and stability that’s an attitude that unquestionably passes the pub test, but in the most dangerous geopolitical state since the end of World War II – with two major confrontations unfolding and even bigger ones threatening to erupt – we no longer have the luxury of being uninformed.

Regrettably, similarly, the argument that something evil being so far away can’t hurt us doesn’t quite cut the mustard.

Maybe many moons ago when wars were only fought on battlegrounds that were far, far, away, but not in this day and age. The struggle for power no longer comes only in the form of land grabs – foreign powers can and do hurt Australia from thousands of kilometres away.

Technology has brought our global community much closer together, which has been a wonderful thing in many ways, but the ability to connect us has also created the ability to destroy us. I’m saying we can no longer put our heads in the sand and hope distance, or allies, can save us.

Russian President Vladimir Putin with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

This week you no doubt would have seen the images of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on a very public tour of North Korea with Kim Jong Un. Again – very easy to move to the ‘far, far, away’ file, but the impact of this newly formed alliance is a direct threat to us here in Australia, as well as to the rest of the world.

The details of their pact are open to interpretation, crafted in deliberately ambiguous and duplicitous jargon. But essentially Russia and North Korea have committed to helping the other if under attack.

The evil warlord version of NATO, if you will. NATO with nukes. Very few words are needed to conjure up a frightening scenario.

And that brings me to the chilling warning one of my guests on this afternoon’s episode of Sky News’s Erin delivers.

In a dark room in the middle of Moscow a man sits down behind a laptop and shuffles his chair into place. As the screen shifts into focus I see his eyes. They are ice-like, but there’s a warmth to them that’s in complete contrast to the prevailing atmosphere.

I am about to interview Grigory Yavlinsky – a proud Russian, but like many of his countrymen (many more than you might suspect) it’s a love-hate relationship. He is the country’s longest-serving Opposition Leader. To even survive in that role is an achievement, to show any opposition to Russia’s communist regime is to risk one’s life – to do so officially and publicly can be a death sentence, just ask Alexei Navalny.

Like Yavlinsky, Navalny headed up a political party that believed strongly in democracy. He was arrested for speaking out, was poisoned and nearly died, before his ultimate and highly suspicious death in a Russian prison earlier this year.

So why is Grigory, this 72-year-old man, speaking to me, fully aware that it could land him in jail … or worse? It feels like I am more worried about the consequences of our chat than he is. I ask if there are any areas he needs me to stay away from.

I worry that by even asking the wrong question he may pay a heavy price. He gives me permission to ask him anything. A member of his team sends me a text telling me that he believes his efforts to stop what he fears will become a nuclear war are more valuable than his life.

It was only recently that Yavlinsky met in person with Putin, desperate to push for a ceasefire in Ukraine. He knows the Russian president well, which makes the following statement even more terrifying. I ask him about this week’s North Korean trip and the prospect of Putin following through on his many threats, including the unleashing of his nuclear arsenal.

Yavlinsky doesn’t pause. His response is swift. “I’m saying it’s a possible thing. Be careful … it’s not a joke … it’s a very serious thing.”

So while nuclear energy has dominated the domestic headlines this week, it’s this chilling warning of the prospect of the use of weapons that has me far more worried than any fear mongering from those opposed to Peter Dutton’s new plan.

My interview with the Russian opposition leader will be shown on my Sky News Australia show, Erin, this afternoon at 5pm. Also joining me for an epic and important hour will be former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett and shadow treasurer Angus Taylor. They might be talking about places far away, but every word they utter affects us profoundly, directly and immediately.