The Russian move was expected to further strain relations with North Korea, while improving ties with capitalist South Korea, South Korean reports said.
South Korean newspapers said Russia informed Pyongyang on June 29 of its intention to abrogate Article 1 of a 1961 friendship treaty that binds it to militarily help Pyongyang in the event of war.
The treaty will remain in effect until September 1996.
Quoting diplomats in Moscow, the influential Chosun Ilbo newspaper said the abrogation was expected to help ease tension on the Korean peninsula. But another newspaper quoted a Russian official as saying the move "has chilled relations between Russia and Pyongyang to their lowest level ever.''
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